


Rising from the ashes of Herbay

by Pilafchan



Series: Rising from the ashes of Herbay [1]
Category: Ai no Kusabi
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:06:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 50
Words: 109,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24665842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pilafchan/pseuds/Pilafchan
Summary: A sequel to Ai No Kusabi where Riki and Iason survive carrying their physical injuries and must rebuild their lives.
Relationships: Iason Mink/Riki, Raoul Am/Guy
Series: Rising from the ashes of Herbay [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1853131
Comments: 80
Kudos: 94





	1. Katze's intervention

**Author's Note:**

> This story is originally written in Italian and you can find it on efpfanfic.net  
> I'm the author and I'm not a native English speaker.  
> This translation has been a challenge for me and if I managed to get a decent result it was only thanks to the help of Callie Paris, who corrected my grammatical and linguistic errors.  
> I love to chat about my story, so all comments will be very welcome!  
> I hope you enjoy it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katze changes the fate of the two lovers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been checked and corrected by Callie Paris

Dana Burn.

Riki had convinced Katze to take him to Dana Burn to find Guy and sort things out with him.

"Wait for me out here" the mongrel had told him. "Guy is out of his mind and I don't know how he could react if he saw you. I'll be able to convince him to get out of there and stop this madness."

Having said that he had entered the abandoned fortress.

He walked with difficulty, limping and sweating profusely. It was clear that he was suffering and Katze wasn't sure that Riki was really capable of making such an effort.

He tried to contact Iason again but his communicator was unavailable. Maybe it was better that way, Katze didn't feel ready to report to the blondie that his pet had been kidnapped and emasculated by a crazy ex-lover.

How would Iason react to the news? Anger, surely ... they should hide Guy from him because the blondie would have had no compassion for his madness.

Perhaps Katze also would be a victim of his anger for not having immediately brought Riki back to Eos rather than escorting him to Dana Burn. Thinking about possible punishments he put his hand on the scarred cheek retracing the jagged furrow with his fingers.

Suddenly the sound of an explosion. Katze wasted no time, went through the large steel door and started running through the damp corridors.

Not knowing what path Riki had taken, he let himself be guided by his instincts, sounds and lights. Then another explosion! The walls began to tremble, he heard the roar of something crashing to the ground.

Suddenly a body flew over him: Katze recognized him as Guy. He was unconscious and in bad condition but still alive. What the hell was going on? Why had Guy flown over him and fallen so badly? Where was Riki?

Lower down he saw him: the mongrel was kneeling on the ground.

"Riki, get up! Let's go! Everything is collapsing!" He shouted running towards him.

When he arrived, however, what he saw was totally unexpected. Iason was on the ground. His right leg was twisted off at the ankle; his left shorn at the thigh. Metallic bone left a polished gleam exposed, with blue blood dripping from the wounds. Riki was in front of him, pale and trembling. They both turned in surprise towards Katze.

Iason was telling Riki to just leave him there and go get Guy to bring him to safety.

Katze was overwhelmed with disgust seeing his master in such condition but his training and common sense took over and coldly took the reins of the situation.

"Riki" he ordered “Go and get Guy, you have to take him out! I'll take care of Iason."

The young man obeyed because if there was a person he trusted and he would not object to, that was his black market boss, Katze.

"Master Iason" now he turned to the blondie "I'll get you out of here. I don't think to can lift your body but if you allow me to wrap your torso with my arms I'll try to drag you."

"Very well, Katze, proceed."

Katze did so. He began to drag Iason taking him by the torso and walking backwards. The android's body was really heavy but Katze fought against his own limits and managed to move it. The life of his master at that moment depended only on him and could not fail. He discovered a force he didn't even know he possessed.

Iason remained silent, not even a groan despite the exposed flesh that was consumed on the rough and messy stone leaving behind a blue trail of elite blood.

He finally reached the exit almost simultaneously with an exhausted Riki who was carrying Guy's body.

Katze could not lose his lucidity. "In the car, hurry up!" then "Riki can you do it? I will need your help."

"Yes, sure." replied the mongrel with a whisper.

The two first transported Guy to the front passenger seat. Then they lifted Iason to the back seat, the blondie helped them with strength of his arms. Finally Riki came up and sat down next to him.

Katze took his seat behind the steering wheel, took off and immediately pushed on the accelerator to advance at full speed. Just in time. A few minutes after their departure, they heard a huge explosion whose shock wave made them splash forward almost half a kilometer, turning the vehicle over and over again.

Once the route was re-established, Katze gave some indications.

“Riki we must slow down Iason's bleeding. There is a first aid kit under the seat in front of you. Use laces, bandages, gauze, whatever. Clean it up with an antiseptic."

Riki did as directed, gently cleaning up the messy flesh and applying gauze and laces to limit blood spill.

Iason was silent, leaning against the seat back. The muscles of his face slightly contracted by the pain, but nothing could scratch his solemn bearing. He gently stroked Riki's back to calm him.

When he was done, the young man put his cheek on Iason's chest.

"I'm sorry" he whispered tear-choked, to his blondie "Sorry ... Thanks …"

Iason combed his beloved ebony locks with his fingers and held him tightly against him.

“You are with me, Riki, I have found you. Nothing else matters."

Blondie and Ceres's mongrel stayed like this for a long time, breathing and sniffing each other.

***

AMOI MAP  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The description of Iason's physical condition after the accident is taken from the eighth book of the original novel.
> 
> I decided to use the place names of the English version of the novel (Dana Burn instead of Dana Bahn and Herbay instead of Harvey).
> 
> Jupiter has a neutral gender in my story, as in the original novel. Is an it, not a her.


	2. The sacrifice of Iason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Survivors must be treated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been checked and corrected by Callie Paris

"Report your destination, Katze."

"Yes master. I am heading to the Jupiter Tower, there they have the technologies to repair your body and to heal the two humans."

“Negative, Katze. In Tanagura I would find myself obliged to report to Jupiter the reason for my conditions. Consequently Riki would be eliminated and my mind cleaned up and reset for the performance of my duties. Design another destination."

Katze winced. He hadn't foreseen such an extreme epilogue but Iason was right: this was exactly what would have happened if Jupiter had learned that its favorite son had let himself be mutilated so seriously to save a pet and the mongrel that had kidnapped him.

“There’s a clinic not far from here. The staff is highly qualified and I have several connections. They do not ask questions or require any type of identification. If you have the money to pay, you will be treated regardless of your status."

“It’s acceptable, Katze, take us there. I trust that maximum discretion will be ensured."

When Katze got to the clinic, he got out of the car and reported to the emergency room that he had three injured on board, the nurses immediately came out with three stretchers.

Riki was reluctant to get carried away but Iason insisted and, however, when he tried to stand up he realized that the pain was really too intense to continue. Dana Burn's excitement and adrenaline had sustained him during his escape from the fortress but now his weak and aching state prevailed over spiritual strength.

Incidentally, the painkillers he had ingested before contacting Katze had now exhausted their effect and some stitches must have been open judging from the bloodstains on his pants. Then he agreed to get on the stretcher.

Four nurses were needed to lift Iason and transporting him to the clinic was particularly difficult. Guy was still unconscious.

Katze claimed to speak immediately with the primary, Dr. Seng, who once he recognized the black market boss turned to him with the utmost availability. He then explained the facts to him pointing out the need for confidentiality and specifying that one of the three wounded was android.

Dr. Seng understood the situation. He was used to cases that required maximum discretion, especially when the black market was involved. In addition, non-human patients, generally humanoid and non-humanoid aliens or genetically modified laboratory pets, often came to his clinic, although it was the first time they had to deal with an Elite as they were immortal, extremely difficult to injure and did not get sick. Leaving aside the fact that the very few times that elites needed any kind of medical service they turned to Jupiter Tower clinic.

He had the operating rooms prepared and personally followed all three surgeries. Katze waited.

The first to leave the surgical room was Guy who was transported to one of the hospital rooms. Katze refused to go and see him. Dr. Seng had told that they had to amputate his arm because the internal - bones and soft parts - were completely destroyed. Otherwise he had numerous broken ribs and fractures on his face. Katze nodded, but he really didn’t care much about the bastard's health.

The second to leave the chirurgical ward was Iason.

His right ankle had been operated bringing it back to the correct position and the titanium bones repaired and welded; any damaged element properly repaired or rebuilt, and wounds sutured. It would be back as new in a short time considering the accelerated healing of the Blondies but in the meantime he had to remain immobilized. In this regard, a kind of rigid metal boot was applied.

As for the left leg, however, there was not much they could do, apart from closing the nerves and blood vessels, filing the femur and suturing the wound. As advanced as Amoian medical technology was, it was unable to regrow a severed limb, be it human or android. The only one who could have done it was perhaps Jupiter but at a high price.

Iason had been aware of this from the beginning. He was awake when they brought him back to the room and his expression as always composed and cold.

He sat down on the bed and started to talk to Katze about black market issues, as if they were sitting on one of Parthea's tables, having a drink.

Katze did not have the courage to deal with Iason about his new physical condition, not to mention what would happen with Jupiter and his political position as syndicate leader. And Iason didn't seem to care, obviously it wasn't time to talk about it yet.

Riki, however, did not go out before several hours more.

When Katze asked the reasons for the delay, a nurse explained that they had brought in a urologist from the planet Eclipses and that they were proceeding with some innovative medical techniques.

Finally Riki also went out. He was asleep and taken to a bed in the same room as Iason. Despite the late hour and the weakness due to the intervention, the Blondie had stayed awake waiting for his pet.

Dr. Seng assured him that the operation had gone well and that the following day he would update him on the man's clinical condition, but now he needed to rest. Iason breathed, relieved when he saw Riki sleep.

The last 10 days had been extremely painful for him. He had continued to carry out his political duties maintaining a cold and detached facade, enduring Jupiter's watchful gaze, while inside his soul was restless and mad. He found no peace.

Where was Riki? Why had he suddenly disappeared when he finally thought he had managed to find a compromise to maintain the spiritual well-being of his mongrel? Why wasn't the tracer on his pet-ring working? These questions tore him internally.

Days and days of agony. Then finally that phone call. Finally a reason: a kidnapping. The name of a kidnapper: Guy, his ex mating partner.

His mongrel hadn't run away: he had been kidnapped. He hadn't left him. He wasn't gone. Iason had not failed.

Then to find out that the kidnapper didn't want to return Riki. That Riki wasn’t there. Seeing his pet-ring removed and understanding how it was taken off from him. Iason had lost his mind and anger had taken hold of him.

One thought: to kill that human who had hurt Riki and destroy everything that was at hand at the time.

Then ... Riki's voice. He was alive. He was there! The relief of wrapping him in his arms and feeling the warmth.

He only wanted to bring him to safety but Riki could be saved but not from his remorse and guilt. He couldn't have survived knowing he was the cause of Guy's death and madness. Not without trying to save him at least.

So he did it, for Riki. He rescued the man he most hated in the world and even when he realized he could not continue his only thought was for Riki: go, continue, bring Guy to safety, live. Iason was ready to die alone in Dana Burn as long as Riki lived without regrets.

Then the unexpected: Katze was there and everyone could be saved. His mongrel, Guy and himself were still alive. Three broken lives whose pieces had to be put back together. Three new hopes for the future.

Finally Iason turned off his sensors and slipped into unconsciousness.

Katze was offered a room and a bed to spend the night and accepted with gratitude because he was exhausted and would not have had the strength to go home and deal with all the calls he would have received.

By now everyone in Tanagura was aware of the explosion of Dana Burn, which had also severely affected the nearby sectors of Herbay and Ceres. Herbay in particular had been completely destroyed. Guardian was saved only because it had raised its protective dome in time and this shield had also protected a good part of Ceres, but the rest was also in rubble.

Not to mention Iason's absence from Eos. He should have given many explanations and was not yet ready for that.

He looked at Iason and Riki for one last time, then went to the balcony and lit a cigarette. He hadn't smoked since Riki's plea for help.

He brought the smoke to his mouth and finally, lulled by the silence and familiarity of the twin moons, his feelings were freed. His chest shook and tears began to come out.

Tears of relief gushed out of what might have happened but it hadn't. He had been so close to losing him, but his master was alive. Riki was alive.

He finished his cigarette, swallowed his emotions and regained his calm. With that comforting warmth in his chest he too finally went to rest.


	3. Guy's grudge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guy's awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been checked and corrected by Callie Paris  
> Part of it is taken from the epilogue of the original novel.

The next morning.

It was like the mist was clinging to his eyes.

Try as he may, he couldn't shake it from his sight.

Not knowing what to feel or how to feel, Guy opened his eyes. But they saw nothing.

Not knowing if this was real, the eyes drifted.

And then, unbidden, a drop.

And another. And another,

'Where am I?'

The pristine room was lit with a soft glow. Not a mark on the walls, the air was clean, unlike Ceres. The scene put Guy at unease.

'Why am I here?'

The recollection fell across Guy's consciousness like a thunderclap.

The memory of Iason's furious gaze gripped his chest. His heart tightened, and a sharp cruching pain descended on his left arm. Guy knew it was just a memory but he broke out in a cold sweat. Guy clenched his left fist. It felt heavy.

'I'm here. Alive.'

Guy tried to move his left arm.

Nothing.

He looked towards it and saw an empty space.

'Why?'

Guy patted his side with his other arm in desperation.

The memories came back. The fear, the hatred, the pain. All of it. Guy had already resolved to die with Iason. But he was alive. Broken. Crippled.

The bitter laughter overflowed from his lips.

What happened? Why was he alive? Why had his wounds been healed?

He was supposed to die in Dana Burn. He had to blow up with the damned blondie.

Riki would finally be free.

Finally he came to the conclusion that the blondie had managed to escape before everything exploded and decided to take Guy with him only to give him a fate worse than death.

Damn!

At this moment Guy's only hope was that at least Riki had not been found, that he was safe and free to take his life back.

He tried to stand up but the severe abdominal pain did not allow him to. His face was swollen and his head throbbed.

Riki ... please make him at least safe! Riki was strong, he would not let himself go for the loss of his organ.

It had been a painful choice for Guy but a necessary one! Riki had to be free! Even so he could be a leader and have a future.

If there was a slumdog that could pull himself out of the slums and be someone, that was him: Riki the Dark.

Anything but the sex toy of that damned blond demon!

Guy thought the blondie had brainwashed him. He had wiped out Bison's proud leader by turning him into a docile lackey.

In recent months the image of Riki prostrated on the ground licking the boots of that heartless android had obsessed him. It had given him the strength to close his heart and move on with the organization of the plan.

The value of placing bombs, of stunning Riki and kidnapping him, of keeping him locked up in Dana Burn and organizing the removal of his pet ring in the only way possible.

The courage to go against Riki himself, who begged him to bring him back. To bring him back to Iason.

The soul to face his own death. Everything for Riki's freedom.

Riki needed to be freed not only from the blondie, but also from himself and his infatuation. And not because Guy loved him. Not because he wanted his love to be reciprocated: he knew this was no longer possible.

Guy had done it for that fire that raged in Riki and that for years had given everyone the strength to fight since the Guardian times.

Because Riki was the prince of Ceres. And if the prince was tamed it meant that all the mongrels had been tamed. That there was no hope for Ceres.

Riki had to be free because all slumdogs lived in him. And a mongrel was born free and died free. He did not lick Tanagura's scum!

The door opened and interrupted his thoughts. It was a nurse, he came to check the IV and medications statment.

“I see you woke up Mr. Guy. The doctor will come in the morning to check your health and change the bandages. In the meantime, let me know if I can help you in any way."

"Why am I here? Who brought me?"

"Your hospitalization and treatment were authorized and financed by Mr. Katze."

Katze ... where had he heard that name? Of course! Scarface! Guy remembered him when he came to pick up Kirie during the police raid on Ceres. He too was one of the blondie's lackeys. Shit.

Guy was waiting to know his fate and fuck! He knew it wouldn't be cool.


	4. Riki's sincerity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riki's awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been checked and corrected by Callie Paris

When Riki woke up his first thought was for Iason. He snapped his eyes open and started looking for him left and right.

He saw him. He was in a bed not far from him. Riki sighed with relief.

He sat up and began to evaluate his condition: he felt pain, especially in the groin and lower abdomen area, but it was not unbearable.

He had bulky bandages and gauze wraps that didn't even allow him to close his legs. In the arm the tube of the IV and from the bandages another tube that probably was for pissing.

Carefully, trying not to intertwine with the pipes and not to detach anything, he brought his legs out of bed sitting down. Then he tried to stand up on the bedside table but stopped when he heard the sound of the door opening.

"If your goal is to get your stitches back, you're on track, Riki." Katze stood at the door with his arms crossed and a stern look.

"Shit Kat. What did they do to me? I can't even close my legs. And I am impressed to see a bag full of my blood-mixed piss."

"I guess, Riki, I went there too," Katze gave a half smile "The doctor who performed your surgery will explain us everything in the morning, but now you have to lie down. You can't make any kind of effort for at least 48 hours."

"Ok ... Look, it's not like… Could you bring my bed closer to Iason's? ... please!"

Katze saw that the beds had wheels. “I think I can do it, but lie down. Are you thirsty?"

"Fuck yes! My mouth looks full of glue and vomit!"

Katze shook his head at Riki's usual vulgar expressions. First he poured the water into a glass and handed it to him, then helped him to lie down.

He unlocked the bed's brake lever and started to push it, being careful to move the IV pole simultaneously, then placed it next to Iason's bed, who in the meantime had woken up and watched the scene. When the beds were pushed together he clicked the lever again.

"Good morning Master. Can I get your breakfast?"

"I would appreciate it, Katze, go ahead."

The ex-furniture left the room with a bow.

Riki looked towards the bottom of Iason's bed almost hoping that his memories of the previous day were clouded and Iason had not really had that terrible injury, but unfortunately the emptyness of the sheets on the left side of the bed was a sign that left no room for doubts.

The direction of Riki's gaze, immediately followed by an anguished expression, did not go unnoticed by Iason who carefully lifted his pet and brought him closer letting him rest on his chest. "What troubles you pet?"

Riki felt strangely comforted to hear his Master calling him by his pet-nickname. Riki wanted to belong to Iason at the time. "Do you feel pain?"

“My body has a different perception of pain and pleasure than that of humans. I have sensations that slightly short some of my circuits, I could define them as a tingling. During the surgery I didn't need general anesthesia and I guided the doctors to better understand the anatomy of an Elite body."

"Wow ... so you were there and you told the doctor how to operate? I see that even under the knife you can't accept someone to have control over you."

Riki stroked Iason's chest gently, as if he were afraid of breaking him. "So there is ... nothing can be done about ... that?" he asked almost in a low voice.

"I guess I have to find alternative methods for my walking." Iason replied very calmly.

Riki tried to imagine what these alternative methods could be. In Ceres, if you lost a leg, they gave you a kind of fake wooden leg or a crutch. And it's not that these people managed to do much and in any case it was a suck of life.

Riki could not imagine what an alternative method of walking could be acceptable for Iason but on the other hand he didn't understand much about android medicine. In Ceres, the few doctors available limited themselves to doing the bare minimum for survival.

"I feel ... responsible for this. I would like to remedy somehow but I don't know how."

“Riki, if you hadn't arrived I would have probably continued to tear that room and your friend apart until everything exploded. So I would say it's appropriate to declare that we came out of this thanks to you. In addition, I was told by Katze that it was you who got in touch with him reporting your position and that you convinced him to go to Dana Burn."

"Yes but ... I didn't know you were there. I just wanted to find Guy before he committed some other madness. And I told Katze to wait for me outside, luckily he didn't listen to me ... Besides, if I hadn't asked you to bring Guy to safety you could have helped me go faster and that wall wouldn't have fallen on you. Not to mention the fact that it was I who was to be crushed. You ... went back to save me! So don't tell me not to feel responsible for this! You piss me off! It's my fault! And we're also neglecting that detail that Guy asshole is my ex. I hate him! If he's still alive I'll kill him with my own hands !! "

"I find all the efforts made to pull that human to safety to then kill him, my pet, highly inconvenient, but if this gives you satisfaction we will try to satisfy you." Iason spoke with a note of irony in that last sentence and Riki smiled in response.

In the meantime Katze had returned with breakfast, accompanied by an attendant. Riki moved to allow the man to place the tray.

“Riki you still don't have the doctor's permission to eat. Maybe you'll have something light for lunch." said Katze.

"Ok" Not that he was hungry, however.

"Katze update me on the physical state of the human named Guy." ordered Iason.

"Of course Master. The mongrel woke up and asked a nurse for information on why he was here. His physical state is stable, even if he is not yet able to get up. His left arm has been amputated."

“Make sure he will be kept in custody. He must have no way of leaving the room."

“It will be made, Master. The head physician is available to talk with you about the surgeries performed and awaits your authorization to enter."

"Very well. Let him pass."

Dr. Seng came in shortly after and as Iason quietly finished his breakfast he began to illustrate their clinical conditions.

The ankle, thanks to the accelerated metabolism of the Elites, would be completely healed within a few days without any residual discomfort. The same applies to the stump on the left side.

A technician would come in the day to take the Blondie's measurements and calibrate the waves of his neuronal circuits, in order to commission a robotic prosthesis connected directly to his brain.

This prosthesis would have responded to Iason's commands in a similar way to his biological leg. He could walk, run, jump, bend or make any kind of movement without inconvenience.

It would take a few days to make it. Ideally, when his wounds be perfectly healed, the prosthesis test could be carried out.

In the meantime, they would provide Iason with an aeropram. A levitating chair that could be pushed or controlled through a small lever.

Following Iason's affirmative nod, he primary talked about Riki's condition.

The eviration had been complete and, as with Iason's leg, the removed organ could not be restored.

However, since the testicles were still present, they had been able to proceed with a new Karinian derivation technique which, in the few cases in which it had been tested, had had excellent results.

In a nutshell, in addition to perfectly restore his bladder and urinary functions, they had acted on the groin inserting new nerve endings, capillaries and sensitive areas.

On the practical side, Riki's groin in his relaxed state would appear smooth and free of scars, except for the hole in the urethra.

In the event of direct or indirect stimulation, on the other hand, it would slightly swell, redden and stiffen and could get a normal ejaculation. This meant a complete sexual response, apart from the logical absence of the penis.

All this, in Riki's head, translated into an 'Ok. I can cum. I can ejaculate. I can be fucked but I can't fuck ... but with Iason it's not that there were many possibilities to fuck anyway ...'

Dr. Seng also added that, in all likelihood, the new apparatus could have be more sensitive than the biological one and respond more effectively to stimulation, especially in the early days.

And here Riki got a little worried. Iason would literally torture him with a more sensitive apparatus! He pushed that thought out of his head.

Finally there was talk of Guy. For him it would not have been possible to install a robotic prosthesis because these could not be connected to a human brain but were adaptable only to android brains. Otherwise, his condition was stable, they only had to wait for the standard biological times for the healing of rib and face fractures.

Riki was annoyed when the doctor talked about Guy. He didn't really want to listen and in fact a part of him wanted to forget about him but ... it was Guy. They had too much past and too many shared memories. He could not erase or hate him like that, without reservations. He would take care of him.

Maybe life after Dana Burn wouldn't be so bad after all.


	5. Raoul's tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conversation between Katze and Raoul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris.  
> A big part of this chapter is taken from the eighth book of the original novel.

Katze returned to his office that evening.

The priority call came to him about thirty minutes after his arrival. Katze's expression was grim.

He had prepared his speech with Iason. They had a plan, his nerves had to remain firm. There was no time to think, much less prepare for this. There was no choice but to answer the call.

The men who worked for Katze were nervous and uncertain. Katze understood. Dana Burn had collapsed; and so had part of their world.

Katze stepped into a secure room and waved the holochannel open.

Raoul's fierce countenance filled the center of the room. Katze felt a chill of fear and a sensation like years of his life slipping away. Raoul got straight to the point.

\- Iason is nowhere to be found. Where is he? -

\- My Lord, we have not received instructions from him, - Katze replied with a straight face.

\- He gave no word of his destination? -

\- No, Lord Raoul. -

\- Then know that your Master went to Herbay. -

Herbay was the sector closest to Dana Burn, as far as the Tanagura signal went. It had been completely destroyed by the explosion. Well. The plan worked as expected.

\- What? - Katze raised his eyes in 'fake' astonishment.

Raoul continued: - 14:12, departure from Rivas. 14:42, arrival at Herbay. That is the time log we have. He used the Karaza network. - The Karaza network was a secret known to very few people. Raoul was aware that as Iason's representative for all matters related to Ceres, Katze knew of it.

Raoul broke the silence.

\- So what business did Iason have in Herbay? -

\- My Lord, he made no mention of it to me. -

Raoul's voice cracked like a whip. - Stop lying. His movements in public are known to all of us. But those in private are your purview. Iason thought that highly of you, to place you in his trust.I will not hear of your denial. This is a critical matter. You already understand what state Herbay is in. If you continue to lie to me, I will put you under interrogation and shred you mind until I have the truth. -

Katze paled, knowing it was no idle threat. Raoul would do so without hesitation. Even amongs the blondies, Raoul was known to be absolutely ruthless.

\- I want to know why Iason left for Herbay and where he is. Now! - Roul's gaze from the olodisplay carried the promise of unlimited suffering from his cybernetic eyes.

Raoul's voice dropped. - Do not tell me that he is involved in that explosion in Dana Burn. -

Katze looked, startled.

Raoul went silent for a moment. And then his eyes burned with renewed intensity. - Tell me everything. Now! -

The command instilled fear in Katze. It was a different sort of aura from Iason, whose voice was like ice. Raoul's voice carried across like hellfire. Katze swallowed. And then he resolved to tell the 'truth'.

He told Raoul the chronology of events over the last ten days. From Riki's disappearance to the explosion at Dana Burn. He also told how Iason had been injured and unable to move during the escape. How Riki brought a dying Guy out of the fortress and then returned to die with Iason. And how Katze gave Guy the coup de grace and left him there to explode with the fortress.

Raoul's face hardened into a mask, but he didn't say a single word to interrupt Katze.

There was no better scientist in the known worlds than Raoul, no better hand at nanosurgery. But even he knew the limits to immortality that blondies inherited from Jupiter.

That Guy risked everything to free Riki and kill Iason with the destruction of Dana Burn was hard to believe. But for Iason to protect Riki, a slumdog - a pet - and die in the process was unimaginable.

But Raoul ... Raoul said not a word to interrupt Katze.

Katze shook to think of the consequences. But it was clear that this 'truth' would never surface. Tanagura demanded it so. To protect the legacy, the name of Iason Mink.

There was no doubt as to what course of action Roul Am would take for Iason.

Raoul commanded in a fiery voice: - Keep your silence. -

With that the holodisplay went dark

Katze almost passed out from the tension: the plan had worked. Raoul and Jupiter would have obscured this 'truth' that could not be made public.

Iason, Riki and Guy were officially dead.

***

Raoul put his hands to head and cried. For the first time. The first emotional rattle of the cold android.


	6. First times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iason wears the robotic prosthesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Five days had already passed since the explosion.

Riki was now able to walk almost painlessly. He spent most of the day in the gardens of the clinic and every now and then he was accompanied by Iason in his levitating chair, although in reality the blondie did not particularly like the outdoor spaces preferring the intimacy of the room but Riki was very insistent. It was the day of the arrival of the prosthesis and they were waiting for the doctor to call for the test.

Riki was already able to urinate without the aid of the annoying tube, even if he felt a little uncomfortable having to sit down to do it. For the rest, thanks to the antibiotics and miracle drugs that he had injected with, he was almost perfectly cured.

Guy, on the other hand, was becoming impatient: he had been asking for days to leave the room or at least talk to someone ... Katze, Iason, Jupiter itself! Anyone as long as they told him something! Instead, the only ones who entered were the attendants or nurses to bring meals or change medications. Otherwise the door remained locked.

He too had improved a lot thanks to the medicines provided by the clinic. The pain in his ribs and face and that phantom arm sensation remained, but otherwise he felt well.

***

Iason was first removed from the ankle boot on his right foot: the state of healing of the ankle was well underway. Some tests were done to check neurological responses and movements and everything seemed fine.

He later put on the prosthesis: the technician explained how to attach it and it was a very simple operation. They had managed to reproduce exactly his complexion.

Riki, when he had heard about the robotic prosthesis, had imagined something full of lights, gears and mechanisms, and instead it looked like a real leg. Even the knee and foot had been reproduced to perfection: once worn, it was not clear where the prosthesis ended and where Iason's original body started.

“Very well, Lord Mink, now I need you to connect your brain circuits to those contained in the prosthesis chips. Once the connection is finished, just send it the command of what you want to do, as you did with your original limb."

Iason closed his eyes for a couple of minutes. He was making the connection. Then, to the satisfaction of medical staff and Riki's relief, they saw him do some tests: he bent and stretched his knee, ankle and individual fingers. He swung his foot left and right.

Then he stood up and gently pushed away Riki, who wanted to help him to support himself. He didn't need any kind of hold. He took a few steps that seemed perfectly stable and natural: both the right ankle and the left prosthesis seemed to work perfectly. “It will be fine Dr. Seng. I believe no further evidence is needed for the moment.”

“Good, Lord Mink. Let me tell you that this prosthesis doesn't need any kind of maintenance, it takes energy from your own brain activity, it's covered with a practically indestructible Veranian material, it's fireproof, waterproof and doesn't suffer from the wear and tear of time. It can be worn continuously but if for your comfort you wish to remove it, you can also do so simply by temporarily disconnecting the neuronal connection."

Having said that, he took his leave with a bow and left the room leaving Iason alone with his mongrel. Both wore comfortable indoor clothes and a dressing gown. Katze had arranged to bring them various changes of clothes and generally took care of their every need.

"Wow it looks ... nice. Can I touch it?"

Iason approached Riki who laid his hands on the new acquisition. “It's lukewarm. It's slightly velvety to the touch. Do you feel I'm touching you?"

"No Riki. This is probably the only flaw of this type of equipment: it doesn't offer sensitive inputs. It only serves to cover motor needs. I think I will remove it sometimes during our moments of intimacy."

He was talking about sex. Riki blushed. They had not yet addressed the topic. "Iason about ... that. I ... "

“I will respect your times, Riki, as long as they are reasonable. You will not receive any kind of forcing from me. I'll give you time to get used to your new status."

Riki couldn't believe what he had just heard "What you said is ... beautiful. It's the first time you say you don't want to force me. Thanks ... but doesn't it bother you? I mean that I no longer have a penis ..."

Iason came over, took Riki's face with his hands and silenced him with a kiss. The first since he was kidnapped. "Riki I want you. Your spirit. Your body and your soul. I don't care about your penis."

He kissed him again. This time invading his mouth with tongue. Riki gasped and responded to the kiss with intensity by pushing his tongue into the blondie's mouth and bringing his arm behind the back of his neck.

They separated. Iason's gaze showed evident satisfaction: it was the first time that Riki had taken any kind of initiative in their intimate interactions, usually he limited himself to reacting to what was given to him.

“Now it would be appropriate to change clothes. We have a little pending matter to solve. Let's go talk to your ex !"


	7. Clarifications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iason and Riki go to talk to Guy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language correction by Callie Paris

When the door of Guy's room opened, the young man was lying on the bed. He was dressed in the hospital uniform as no change had been given to him and he didn't know where his old clothes were.

Imagining that it was the attendant with the lunch tray, he remained where he was pretending to be asleep. He didn't want to talk to anyone. His surprise was great, however, when he heard the familiar ice voice "Good morning Guy."

He sat up to face the blondie "Iason Mink," he said hatefully "finally my jailer deigns to visit me." he added, mimicking a deep sarcastic bow.

"I suppose the care and treatment that was given to you in this clinic has been to your liking, Guy."

“Enough of the games, blondie. Why did you save me? Why are they healing me?"

"Because that was Riki's wish." Iason replied very calmly.

Guy jumped to his feet at hearing Riki's name. His hatred increased and he seemed to want to burn the Blondie with his stare look "Fucking bastard why Riki? He was safe! I freed him from you! Where is he? What did you do to him?"

"Apparently Riki came to Dana Burn to look for you, interrupting our interesting punitive section session," Iason paused for a few seconds, fully enjoying Guy's ardent gaze “and he asked me to bring you to safety. Consider yourself still alive only with the kind permission of your ex mating partner."

Guy’s skin had gone pale and showed obvious anguish. He smiled crookedly not to melt. “So he's still a slave… a lousy pet. It was all in vain ...”

Suddenly the fire took hold of Guy and he threw himself at Iason, who still didn't have complete control of his new limb, making him fall to the ground.

He started hitting the android throwing punches with the only arm he could do it with. For Iason they were little more than a flip and he let him do it. “Damn toaster I will kill you! Why Riki? Why don't you leave him alone? Didn't you have enough fun with him? You can have any kind of sex doll ... why him? He no longer even has a cock! Stop tormenting him!”

Riki, who had remained hidden behind the door, ran inside, grabbed Guy by the collar and punched him in his already bruised face, reopening some fractures and making him scream in pain.

“Piece of shit! Here if there is someone who considers me a doll without a brain that's you! I told you in Apathia! I told you in Dana Burn! You had to stay out of this. I'm able to look after myself. I didn't need to be saved!” Riki spoke with a tight stomach and clenched fists, refraining from hitting him again.

Guy was struggling with the pain and he didn't managed to emit more than a few little stifled groans "Aaah ... Riki .... You ... are not ... in you ... you are ... brainwashed ..."

"Is that what you think of me Guy? Do you think it's so easy to control me? Do I look like a brainless puppet? Do you think that if I really wanted to escape Apathia, having had the opportunity, I wouldn't have had the courage to cut that fucking ring off myself?"

"... Apathia ... he forced you to do those things ... he used me to blackmail you and take you back!"

Iason intervened in his usual calm and controlled tone. "As for the little show offered in Apathia I guess it was ... a mistake. I take that part of responsibility as a contribution to your altered mental state and your actions. Riki is normally not required to perform certain services. I had not considered the human feelings and the grudge that such an act could have generated, I just wanted you to abandon your attempts to save him. For the issue of 'blackmail' you may be right, but Riki needed a little stimulus to accept his true feelings"

Riki blushed. He hadn't recognized it yet but it was true. "It's so Guy ... I could no longer live in Ceres without ... Iason."

Meanwhile, Guy had recovered despite the pain still throbbing in his cheekbone. “Don't fuck me. Do you want me to believe that all this shit is true? That's a fucking love story between a devilish machine and a slumdog turned into a fucking pet? I don't know how does it works in Tanagura, mister perfection, but in Ceres we don't kidnap people! Don't torture them with a fucking cock ring! Don't put a tracer on them! We don't force them to do things they don't want! Do you seriously want such a 'love'? What's up with your fucking freedom, Riki?"

Riki listened carefully to Guy's words. How can he blame him? Still, this whole twisted situation was what it was. He too had only begun to understand it recently, after moving to Apathia. Iason was a blondie and despite all the power and wealth he had, he too had to live following the rules of Tanagura and constantly under the strict control of Jupiter. And they were totally crazy rules for a slum mongrel.

The lack of freedom was the only thing that had prevented him from stopping to hate Iason so far… or so it had been up to Dana Burn. Now he felt that something had changed. "It's ... complicated." he said only.

"I suppose Riki is no longer a pet and will no longer have to comply with the laws of Tanagura since we'll not go back to Eos, nor to Apathia." Iason pointed out.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Guy asked.

"It means that Iason can't go back to Jupiter after your fucking idea to blow it all up, big dick!" Riki held back the urge to hit Guy. "He is ... hurt. He can't go back to Jupiter like that or it will fuck his brain and kill both you and me to be the cause!"

"I don't understand!" Guy looked at Iason. He showed no wound. He seems ... as always.

“His leg ... is gone. It's ... a prosthesis ..." Riki was still struggling to talk about it. "He slowed down because he was carrying you ... When a wall was about to collapse on me, he came back to save me by being crushed in my place" Riki was struggling to hold back the tears at this moment. “All three of us are officially dead, Guy. We are, in a sense, related. Me, you and Iason. All three of us have lost a part of us in Dana Burn. We are all a little ... changed in there. Now we share a common destiny."

They remained silent. What Riki had said was great. New. Strange.

"I think I need to ... think." Guy said finally.

Riki and Iason left the room.


	8. Release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riki's first sexual experience after Dana Burn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Ten days had passed since Dana Burn.

The patients were now clinically healed and hospitalization was no longer necesary. They would be released shortly.

Guy was no longer locked since the day of their conversation but nevertheless he had not left the room nor had Riki or Iason returned to visit him.

Katze rarely showed up: the bare minimum was needed to discuss some points with Iason (they couldn't take the risk of using media, not even protected or encrypted) but mostly he was working to prepare for their exit from the clinic.

Rumors had spread from Tanagura that the syndicate leader and his pet had been the victim of an accident during an interplanetary trip. A technical defect had failed the engine and the ship had exploded.

Raoul had been named his successor.

***

After breakfast, Iason had entered the private bathroom of their room for a shower. Riki had followed him soon after, he had undressed and had slipped too into the cabin.

That attitude was very unusual for him because Riki never sought Iason's intimate company: when he could he avoided it or, most of the time, he just acted completely passive, resisting and waiting for the Blondie to be done with him.

But from the moment Iason had lost a leg to save Guy's and his own life, it was as if something between them had changed. Riki no longer felt like a prisoner. He no longer wished to escape him. He was no longer afraid.

He still didn't understand the real reason why Iason had done it but one thing was certain: the Blondie cared about him, somehow, and Riki didn't feel so indifferent to his affections anymore.

The water jet was warm and relaxing and Riki stood there for a long time with his naked body in contact with the android's one. In silence.

He felt extremely nervous. He didn't know what strange kind of magic powders they had treated him with in that clinic, but his new sexual apparatus was completely healed, even if he hadn't yet proven that it worked. Iason hadn't seen him naked yet, though, and Riki didn't feel completely confident in his new appearance.

He was still a man. His testicles were present and fully functional, and his drives hadn't changed, yet where his penis used to hang, there was now only a smooth depression in the center of which was the urethral orifice.

What if he couldn't come? What if that new kind of sex hadn't appealed to him? What if Iason, despite his previous claims, had been disappointed?

The Blondie soaped up the sponge and began to wash him gently, running the soft tool over his shoulders and neck. He soaped his arms and armpits, which were covered in fine dark hair, and did the same with his chest and hips. He knelt to bring himself to the level of his navel.

Riki had a moment of panic when Iason's face was right in front of his groin, but he relaxed when the Blondie began to gently massage with the sponge the thin strip of hair that started from his navel and went down to the base of his stomach. Then he moved on to his hips and inner thighs.

He invited Riki to lean his back against the wall of the cabin and spread his legs slightly to wash him well between the buttocks and on the perineum. Only finally did he focus on what was in front of him.

Iason dropped the sponge and began soaping the hollow between Riki's legs with his hands.

The young man felt instantly aroused. His newly lit, pulsating groin area transmitted a pleasant sensation of warmth that radiated outward. Shaken by the unfamiliar sensation, he tried to close his legs but Iason held him back, continuing with one hand to massage in a circular fashion the skin surrounding Riki's urethra.

With his other hand he took a handful of foam and surrounded his scrotum, causing his testicles to vibrate. Riki couldn't stifle a small squeal. Then he moved his fingers and brought them between his buttocks, just behind the gonads, and began to gently dig among them.

Riki was still leaning his back against the tiles of the shower and the new sensations were enveloping him. He was breathing excitedly, emitting small moans.

While Iason's right hand continued to stimulate the contours of his urethra, the fingers of his left hand found the warm, jagged opening and slipped easily inside thanks to the generous soaping.

Riki could resist no longer. "Iason ... please ... Can I?"

"Cum, pet" the Blondie replied in an airy voice.

Immediately Riki pushed his hips forward, accompanying that movement with a white jet of viscous pleasure that fell on Iason's hair and face. Left breathless, he almost collapsed on himself.

The Blondie quickly washed the sperm off of him before turning off the water, gathering his mongrel's body in his arms, wrapping them both in a large towel and carrying him to the bed.

He lay down by his side stroking his strands of wet black hair. "You know you don't have to ask my permission anymore, right?" he whispered to his relaxed lover.

"Yes but ... I can't help it. You know, that's why I couldn't do it in Ceres. I never cum that year and half."

"You didn't tell me that."

"Yeah, well we weren't talking much once ... not at least now of really important things. Only what was just inevitable."

"You must have felt lonely"

"A little. I was talking to Katze and the other black market guys. And before there was Cal. And before that, Daryl and M ..." he stopped, thinking that what he was about to say was inappropriate.

"Mimea?" Iason finished the sentence for him.

"Yes ... yes ... she.. ."

"I understand, I guess we have a lot to recover." remarked the Blondie, as he combed the dark locks with his fingers.

"You know, now that I am no longer a pet, I like it when you call me that ... that way, I have always hated when you said it in front of others but when we two are alone ... it excites me, I think. It makes me feel yours ... wanted. So go ahead and say it ... if you like."

"You will be my secret pet." whispered Iason in his ear.

Riki immediately felt the blood flowing between his legs again and the heat radiating from that new sensitive area. They kissed intensely. Then Riki, with a sudden movement, took Iason’s organ in his mouth and began to suck it with desire, alternating tongue with lips and helping himself with his hands to cover his lover entire enormous length. Finally he laid back and spread his legs to offer himself shamelessly to that ethereal being who had been his perdition for years. “Fuck me. Please."

Iason inserted his fingers into the still slippery and partially soaped relaxed hole. Gently massaging the orifice until four fingers entered easily. Finally he aligned his saliva glittering and presperm tip to the succulent portal and penetrated it slowly. Riki let out a few uncomfortable moans and Iason stopped to allow his partner to relax his muscles. Then he continued the descent until he was completely inside. He kissed him on the mouth and started to move slowly in both directions.

The mongrel loved the filling feeling and the intense internal stimulation that Iason gave him. It had been difficult for him to adjust his body to the size of the Blondie's organ which, especially in the early days, had only caused him pain and repeated lacerations. Now, however, he was used to accepting it and Riki was addicted to that sansation. Now no one else but that cold-eyed android would be able to satisfy him.

Iason increased the speed of his movements and every time his belly hit the man's testicles, a motion of heat and electricity radiated from that newly rebuilt sexual apparatus and made him moan. Soon he could no longer bear it. "Aaaah ... please ..." Riki shouted.

"Cum" said Iason dryly, and almost simultaneously both of them broke free.

The Blondie came out of Riki's warm, throbbing body and licked the viscous substance that had poured into his partner's lower abdomen. They both lay against each other for a long time. Only after a while did the young man notice that Iason had removed the prosthesis, he hadn't really noticed the moment he did it. He wrapped himself in the Blondie's thighs and found that he loved that feeling. So much so that he fell asleep.


	9. Guy's determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guy goes to talk to Iason

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

About half an hour later they were woken up by a knock on the door. Riki cleaned himself quickly with a damp towel, threw his dressing gown on and went to open it. He faced the last person he would have expected to see at that moment: Guy.

He was still wearing the hospital shirt in thin aqua green fabric, apparently Katze had not yet bothered to supply him with other clothes.

Guy cursed himself because he was already anxious since the night before to have to go talk to them and it seemed to have arrived at an inappropriate time. Shit. "Hi. I can come back later ..."

"No stay." Riki made sure from the corner of his eye that Iason had too put on the dressing gown, that was right next to the bed, and invited Guy to enter.

Iason had not worn the prosthesis and his lower half was covered in the sheet. The prosthesis seemed almost to have been thrown because it was on the floor far from the bed.

Riki first picked it up and left it within reach of the blondie, then pointed in a chair to Guy and sat down on the edge of the bed himself.

Guy was uncomfortable. Seeing Iason's impairment live was impactful and that prosthesis had something macabre about it. It really looked like a real leg. In addition, the room smelled of sex, and the sheets seemed freshly stained. Fuck what a situation! He wondered how Riki could still ... he decided it would be a question for later, if there was an opportunity.

"Guy" Iason broke the silence that was becoming embarrassing "I guess you came because you had something to talk about."

"Yes." He rubbed his scalp with the back of his hand. "So ... I realized I made a mess. I don't want to justify myself. I did it for Riki, I really thought it was the right thing to do."

He looked up at that of his ex-partner. "Riki I hurt you. It had to be necessary collateral damage. I believed that your freedom was priceless and I wanted to give it back to you. Now I understand that I should have listened to you and believed your words. I'm sorry ... I know you don't need my apologies but I can't go back on my actions."

Now the difficult part came.

"Iason I ... I wanted to kill you. I still hate you. I'll be honest ... I don't feel responsible for your injury and I don't care about it ... well I guess you feel the same about mine," Guy looked towards the empty space that filled his left sleeve “But I have a debt with you. You weren't required to save me, although it wasn't your initiative but a request from Riki. And you are Riki's partner ... so as long as your feelings for him are sincere and you won't hurt him, you're part of my gang. Riki is the most important person in my life so don't disappoint me or I swear I will really kill you next time."

He said all this without ever looking at Iason in the eyes, except for the last sentence in which his gaze took on a threatening drill.

“I should have died in Dana Burn. I never thought of getting out of it alive. It would have been easier for me to end it there: now I have to live not only with the remorse of what I did to Riki, but also with the weight of all the innocent people who lost their lives because of me, including many mongrel brothers. I've heard about it on the radio every day since I've been here. The blast was supposed to hit only Dana Burn but I guess I ... calculated the amount of explosives badly.” Guy paused because his voice had started to tremble. Then he went on “And now because of me you have to hide from Jupiter."

He looked back at the strange couple who had never interrupted the speech “I don't have much to offer you. Just my life. But I can fight, and I can handle a weapon. I want to ... accept your union, dedicate what is left of my life to protect you from Jupiter or any other enemy and try to repay my mistakes. I hope ... that you accept my offer."

Guy looked at Riki and Iason and for a few minutes nobody said anything. Iason finally nodded and said "Let's accept your gift, Guy of Ceres."

Guy nodded. Without more to say he got up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Riki spoke first "Iason, we should really tell Katze to bring him some clothes."


	10. The inheritance of Cal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katze inherits all of Iason's possessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Katze was in his office when the holoprojector started to ring. He checked the caller's code: Raoul. Fuck! He had no choice but to accept the connection.

\- Did you know Katze that you were one of Iason's main heirs? - Raoul didn't like word turns and went straight to the point.

\- No lord Am, I don't know what are you referring to. -

\- Iason had registered a will in which he left all his possessions to his mongrel pet. Since that slumdog is not alive to claim the inheritance we move on to the second on the list ... that's you -

This was totally unexpected.

\- You became the owner of all Iason's accounts and credit lines. As well as his personal possessions, jewelry and works of art. Iason's real estate also belongs to you, including factories, the villa of Apathia and out-of-the-world possessions. All but the penthouse of Eos which is owned by Jupiter and has now become my residence. Even his furniture now belongs to you. Cal, if I'm not mistaken. -

\- Your Excellency I am truly amazed by these revelations -

\- I see. All the goods and documents of ownership will be delivered to you within the day. It will be said Iason’s ex-furniture to take care of the transfer. Whether to use the furniture services, sell or dispose of him will be at your discretion -

Having said that, the communication ended.

Really an unexpected turn.

***

That same evening two containers arrived with the possessions of Iason - now Katze - at one of the warehouses managed by the black market leader. Cal got out and started to transport the various objects inside the building. When he saw Katze he bowed respectfully.

"Master, my services are at your disposal."

The young furniture, who had just turned 16, seemed to have lost weight since the last time Katze had seen him. He was visibly pale and seemed to have not slept for long. In fact, he had taken the news of the loss of his masters very badly and had cried for days. Then, to make matters worse, Eos guards had come to chase him away from the crib where he lived without even giving him time to pack a suitcase with his belongings and had spent the last few days in a detention cell waiting for a new function, where they had practically forgotten about his existence.

It was a relief when he was told that he had been assigned to Katze's service. At least a face known and trusted by his master Iason. He really hoped that Katze needed his services and didn't dispose of him.

“Welcome Cal. My men will finish unloading the goods. Follow me.” Cal followed his new master, keeping his gaze down.

'Fantastic' Katze thought without being able to hide his inner fun for the irony of fate 'an ex-furniture that has a furniture'.

He led the boy to his offices and showed him one of the back rooms he used to house foreign traders. “You can settle here. There is a bathroom and a small kitchen at the end of that corridor. Take care of your needs."

"Master can I prepare something for you?" Cal was really impatient to feel useful and needed to get rid of the fear of being sold or eliminated.

"Ok. Make some tea and sandwiches and bring them to my office, and make the same for you too. Then go to the market and buy what you need to fill the pantry, new clothes for you and whatever it takes to cover your personal needs. You don't have to wear a uniform here, buy casual clothes. Take this credit chip to pay. The funds are unlimited. Then retire for the night, today I will no longer need your services."

"Thank you Master. I will proceed immediately."

Cal felt really relieved. He had been wearing the same uniform since the day he left the crib and was dirty and unkempt, he couldn't wait to wear clean clothes.


	11. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal meets his masters again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

The refuge had been completed. It was a sort of underground bunker that united Katze's office in Midas with the internal black market base in Ceres.

The bunker already existed, it was a very large underground construction that was used mostly for storage and secret transportation of goods and people to and from Ceres. It was accessed through two tunnels: one that precisely led into the offices of the black market in Midas while the other led to a warehouse inside Ceres which, as a facade, was a shop where were solded spare parts for motorcycles.

In the last 15 days Katze had completely restored the refuge making it habitable and comfortable. He had installed a very advanced air conditioning system to ensure a constant exchange of air and an ideal temperature and positioned in every room some fake windows equipped with holoprojections that simulated the external landscape.

The refuge had three bedrooms, each with a private bathroom, a study, a library, a large and well-equipped kitchen, a pantry, a dining room, a large lounge, a recreation room with a bar and a billiard area and a small gym. Each room had been decorated with the works of art and artifacts that were owned by Iason and previously adorned the penthouse of Eos.

They had also managed to recreate a kind of underground garden which was basically a greenhouse with a fountain, plants and trees of various types inside. All around the apartment, a corridor ensured that you could continue to use the tunnels to move and transport goods from Ceres to Midas without disturbing the privacy of its occupants.

Fortunately, thanks to the fact that Iason's bank accounts had been inherited by Katze, he had been able to continue the renovations with no expense spared.

Cal entered Katze's office that morning with the breakfast tray. “Thanks Cal. I would need your assistance for a commission this morning. You can drive, right? "

"Yes Master."

"Good. We will take two cars, you will have to follow me."

After breakfast, furniture and ex-furniture went to the garage and they each drove an aerial car. Cal followed Katze until he stopped in front of a clinic. He parked the vehicle and headed inside.

“We have to escort some guests from this clinic to my offices. Can you go tell them we're ready to go, Cal? They are located in room number 3. In the meantime I will load their bags."

"Sure Master" Cal was quite amazed that Katze wanted to take care of the luggage leaving Cal the burden of escorting the guests he didn't even know. Logically, it should have been the other way around. But Cal only had to obey orders and not question his Master's requests, so he headed for room number 3.

He found it closed. He knocked and waited for permission to enter. When the door opened, he was practically thrown to the ground by a rebellious familiar mongrel who began to embrace him, laugh and speak in a rambling and agitated way.

Riki didn't contain his joy of seeing the young friend and accomplice who had helped him survive the straits of Eos. Not to mention the fact that he had been worried enough about Cal's fate, as Iason died prematurely without leaving provisions on the destiny of his furniture. That Katze bastard! He would make him pay one day to keep him in the dark!

Cal didn't even have time to react, he was in shock and tossed left and right by an elated Riki. When he finally calmed down, Cal broked into sobs. "M ... master Riki! You're alive!! I was told that you had died with Master Iason. I thought I would never see you again!"

Poor Cal couldn't stop sobbing. He was having difficulties getting air. His face was completely streaked with tears that he couldn't stop shedding. Riki gripped the boy tightly trying to calm him down and whispered in his ear “Quiet sshhhh. We're here. There is also Iason. We're fine. I'm sorry I made you worry."

The strength of poor Cal's emotion also affected Iason, who gently took his servant by the hand, lifted him up and sat him on the edge of the bed holding him in his lap. An action that, so far, he had only done with Riki.

In general Elites have no physical contact with their furnitures and Cal had never been touched by his Master. Now the fact that Iason had him on his lap with one hand on his chest and the other stroking his back as Cal tried to get through an anxiety attack was ... well ... amazing. Katze had arrived and was looking at the scene with emotion from the door. It's not something you see every day and he was glad he kept the secret.

After several minutes Cal began to calm down. Iason and Riki didn't go into details but explained to him that they had to simulate their deaths and that nobody, apart from him and Katze, knew the truth. They told him that they should live hidden and that Cal, if he wished, could live with them as in Eos. They didn't talk about their injuries or why they were in a clinic. Sooner or later he would find out anyway but now there was no reason to break that moment of joy. Needless to say, Cal immediately accepted that, he wanted to return to serve them.

They left the room in this way: Cal with a red face and snot coming out of his nose. Riki gaving him a handkerchief to arrange himself while holding his hand.

Guy, who a few days earlier had finally received a bag of clothes from Katze, was outside the door waiting and observing the scene curiously. Ceres has a bad reputation for furnitures. They are considered even worse than pets. Cowardly bastards who agree to be castrated to flee the slums to lick the feet of Tanagura's elites until they tire of and throw them away as rubbish.

Now, seeing such a real display of affection by a furniture for his owner was unreal. They almost looked like ... a family.

Before going out on the streets Iason changed the color and length of the hair. Blue hair with a medium / short cut and sunglasses. Riki and Iason got into the car driven by Cal and Guy with Katze and headed to their new home.


	12. Living in a bubble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life in the refuge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Life in the refuge was very comfortable. It seemed to be like in Eos but without all those stupid rules to follow and without the risk of meeting some dumb pet or some arrogant Elite in the corridors.

Riki and Iason occupied the underground apartment together with Cal. Guy lived inside the warehouse in Ceres and protected the tunnel entrance on that side. They had set up a small and comfortable apartment for him inside the building.

Guy could go around Ceres. Nobody there knew of his involvement with Dana Burn or of his officially dead status for Jupiter's records. In fact, he worked for Katze and made contacts to get goods and food and basic necessities for the slum dwellers. The most important thing was that he didn't go outside the slums because he could have run into the Midas police.

Katze instead controlled the side of the Midas tunnel, where his offices and apartment were.

Cal took care of going out and shopping for the refuge and its occupants as well as preparing meals and keeping things tidy.

Riki spent most of his time in the apartment and in the garden, but often walked through the tunnels and went to Katze's offices or to Guy's apartment. He also performed IT tasks and office duties for the black market. He didn't go around doing the courier as he once did but still had his responsibilities. Every day he practiced for at least an hour in the gym. He almost never went outside: having no chips installed he could not be identified, however the risk of someone recognizing him or being caught by the Midas police because he was a slumdog was too high.

Getting around Ceres was also dangerous. He had been away too long and would have made people talk about himself. He was known a little by everyone both for being the famous Riki the Dark, ex-leader of Bison, and because it was said around that he had become the cuddled pet of a blondie. From there it was a short step to get the news to Tanagura that Riki the Dark had returned.

Iason, however, never left the apartment. Every day he shut himself up for hours in his study, processing thousands of useful data for black market affairs and forwarding them to Katze with whom he had daily business meetings. He had a non-holographic telephone with which he spoke with customers and suppliers.

Thank's to Iason's help, business had improved exponentially and profits quadrupled. He and Katze united had built a small empire.

He spent mostly of the rest of the time in the library stocked with ancient volumes (which came from the penthouse of Eos) or in the hall.

They had a terminal connected to the network and electrical instruments of the past remedied by Katze who knows how: a television with recorder and various films, a music player, and a console with video games.

Sometimes in the evening they played billiard or organized dinners in which Katze also attended, with long after-dinners spent chatting, drinking and playing games.

Guy also joined them every now and then, but he mostly stayed on the sidelines because Iason's presence still made him uncomfortable.

Most of the time, however, the evenings were devoted to Iason and Riki. They watched a movie together or listened to music, or Iason read sitting on the sofa while Riki lay there with his head resting on his legs. Riki also read, but preferred his dataslate with the numerous discs that Katze kept constantly updating to Iason's old, boring and dusty books.

They often conversed. It was so refreshing for Riki to finally be able to converse with his blondie. They had discovered that they had many things to talk about, that they could do it for hours without ever becoming repetitive or monotonous, that they were able to understand each other and interact constructively. That the point of view of one was completed with the opinion of the other.

They spoke of Tanagura and Ceres, of Amoi and other planets, of Jupiter, of elites and mongrels, of furnitures and pets. Of music, literature, history. They talked about Riki's childhood in Guardian and his past as Bison's leader, and they talked about Iason's past. Finally they talked about them. How they met. Their path.

Sometimes Riki had spurts of anger and fear when he thought of the old Iason, what he had done to him, and he closed in on himself. Iason was not afraid to face these moments with Riki. He explained the reasons that had led him to behave like this. He explained the rules of Jupiter and how he was no more free than Riki was. He confessed his weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

Then they went to the bedroom where they loved each other. Sometimes it was short, but most of the time it lasted hours, Iason was insatiable. Then they fell asleep naked, entwined, exhausted, sticky with their sweat and their fluids.

The day started with a shower and the mornings were long and lazy, they were devoted to pampering and there was no hurry to get out of bed.

Cal had gotten into the habit of leaving their breakfasts ready in self-heating domes, so that at any time they got up they just needed to press a button.

Thus, in the bubble, 6 months passed.


	13. Raoul's wrath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iason and Raoul meet again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Riki was working on the PC trying to hack some confidential information while Katze was talking on the phone with some boring supplier, trying to negotiate a lower price.

Katze's office was considered a safe place for Riki because there were no employees (Katze had sorted them all into other offices) and if he needs to receive someone it was by appointment only. Access from the streets of Midas was protected by an armored door that opened only with a magnetic card of which only two copies existed: that of Katze and that of Cal.

"Kat, I'm a little worried about Iason," Riki said when Katze ended the phone call "I'm afraid he may miss all those blondie things he did. You know ... receptions, interplanetary trips, conferences ..."

"Have you noticed any signs of unease in him?" asked the merchant.

"No, actually no ... he's as always. Only it makes me strange to always see him at home. When we lived in Eos he was not around that much, and in Apathia he came to visit me every three days at most. Not that I'm sorry, not at all but he is different now with me. He changed from Dana Burn ... "

Katze nodded. The change was evident.

“You know Riki, actually I don't think he really liked doing all those blondie things you say. I suppose all those receptions, conferences, board meetings etc actually bored him. In my opinion, from the moment you were there, if he could have chosen he would have spent much more time at home."

Riki was reflecting on Katze's words when they heard the sound of the armored door being opened. It couldn't have been Cal because he wasn't out. Katze motioned for Riki to hide behind the desk.

"Good afternoon, Katze" Raoul crossed the threshold without too many preambles "I hope you don't mind that I used my universal Amoi magnetic card to access your office, I have some things to discuss with you."

Katze was sweating cold. Riki had crouched under the desk right next to where Raoul had just sat. He tried to maintain an impassive expression. "Sure Lord Am. I'm listening."

“There has been a growing reduction in commercial profits in recent months. The board is particularly dissatisfied and we have opened an investigation into this. I have reason to believe that this decrease can be traced back to the black market so ... to you, Katze "

"Uh ... I don't know my Lord. Yes, business is going particularly well in this period and we have acquired new suppliers and buyers, but I don't know if this is the cause of ... "

"From our investigations" Raoul abruptly interrupted the black market dealer "it appears that there is someone who is working for you who has a particular talent and has multiplied your income. Someone with many contacts and charisma. And aware of ... not public informations. Tell me, Katze, did you hire new staff recently?"

"Lord Am I can provide you with a list of new acquisitions in recent months."

“We are not understanding each other, Katze. I don't want a list of mongrels and offenders working for you. I want that person's name. And I'm sure you know who he is. The syndicate wants to hire him for itself."

"Really, there is nobody ..."

Raoul jumped to his feet and raised his voice threateningly "Katze his name! Now!"

Riki in his hiding place had an involuntary gasp that didn't go unnoticed by the improved hearing of the blondie. “Aaah I see that someone is hiding here. Maybe he's the person you're trying to conceal from me, Katze?"

Raoul reached under the desk and pulled Riki out of his arm. When the blondie looked at the human he had just found, his eyes took on an expression of pure anger "You!" he hissed, staring into his eyes and tightening his grip on his wrist. Riki cried out in pain.

Raoul now turned his gaze to Katze "You lied to me!" he said slowly and threateningly as he approached the red-haired young man. He let go of Riki's arm, warning him not to move because he would be the next, and grabbed Katze's neck with both hands, squeezing and lifting him in weight. Katze began to gasp.

"You lied to me!" Raoul repeated “You said that this pet was dead and instead you are hiding him. What else did you lie to me, Katze, what really happened to Iason?"

Raoul's voice seemed to want to pierce the ice, his anger burned the surrounding air. Katze tried to say something but couldn't speak. Riki watched the scene terrified from the floor. Raoul loosened his grip to allow Katze to respond and continued to speak.

“You tricked Iason into dying in Dana Burn just to get his heritage, right Katze? You had heard of the will and decided to betray him, didn't you? Did you two share the spoils of my brother's murder?"

"Aaah ... h ... n no Raoul seriously. I would never have betrayed my Master. I ... I was ... aah ... faithful."

“So how do you explain the presence of his pet here, Katze? What actually happened to Iason? I want the truth!"

"R ... aoul I can't ..."

Raoul threw Katze against the wall, causing him to bang his head violently.

“Very good Katze. Since you continue to act like a lying and disobedient furniture you will be treated as such. Remove your shirt and put your hands on the wall."

Katze turned white. He tried to compose himself and did as ordered. He had never been punished in this way by Iason, the only time had been that of the scar on his face, but during his training he had been instructed on the corresponding transgressions and punishments. He closed his eyes and waited for what would come. Raoul drew a whip from under his tunic.

“You have one last chance to speak. What happened to Iason?"

"I ... can't say."

"You had your choice, Katze."

Raoul forcefully pops the whip on the man's exposed back. The skin tore deep and blood droplets splashed from all sides. Katze screamed. The pain was sudden and excruciating like a streak of fire and made his whole body contract. The wound throbbed ruthlessly after the end of the blow.

“Are you still of the same opinion, furniture? Should I go on?"

"Yes ... I ... I can't" his voice was struggling to come out because of the severe pain.

"Your choice!"

Raoul gave a second and a third blow. Katze's screams filled the room. Blood dripped from the whip and flowed from his back.

Raoul paused for a long time, giving Katze the chance to speak again, but as he remained silent, he proceeded with a fourth blow. On the fifth, Katze's cry was even louder than the others. Raoul had struck an already open strip and now the gash had almost reached the ribs.

Riki threw himself in front of Raoul to stop the whip. “Stop Raoul please! I'll tell you the truth but please stop hurting him!"

“I see this pet shows more common sense than you do, furniture. Then? What do you have to tell me?"

Raoul wiped the whip with a cloth and a cleaning solution and placed it back under his tunic. Katze tried to speak to tell Riki not to do it, but he couldn't make any sound. His body was shaking and his face was full of tears that he hadn't noticed he had shed. The pain radiating from the wounds was unimaginable.

"I ... I'll show you. Follow me."

Raoul frowned because it wasn't the answer he expected, but he wanted to find out what the pet was hiding. He grabbed Katze and loaded him on one shoulder whispering "You'll come with me" and followed Riki who guided him to the passage that led to the underground tunnel. They venture along that path illuminated by flashing neon lights.

Riki first and Raoul followed him with Katze dangling inert like a rag doll. The blondie's hand that supported him burned on his wounds. Blood stained the pristine tunic of the syndicate leader.

They came to a door and Riki opened it with a key.

The interior was clean and elegant, a lounge with works of art on the walls and tastefully decorated.

"Wait for me here!" Riki said before entering a room. From that same room, a few minutes later, Iason came out.

Raoul jumped, his pupils expanded, focusing on the brother he thought was dead. He threw Katze to the ground causing him a moan. He launched himself against Iason, punching him hard in the face and almost causing him to lose his balance.

"You! cursed!" Raoul shouted in anger

"Calm down Raoul!"

“How dare you tell me to calm down! Liar! Traitor!" Another punch flew. Iason took it without returning it.

“Enough Raoul. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Iason put his hands on his brother's shoulders. Raoul growled like an angry dog, his body quivered. He tried to move away from Iason's touch as if it were an electric state, but he held him back trying to contain and calm him. The tears came out of Raoul's eyes again, for the second time in centuries of life but his face was still distorted and contracted by anger.

"Excuse me Raoul. I shouldn't have lied to you."

Raoul shouted "Why? ! Of all things, why did you have to simulate your death? Why did you have to lie to me? Do you have any idea what you put me through?" He was breathing heavily, he looked like a bull about to attack!

“I had to Raoul. You couldn't know the truth. I couldn't go back to Jupiter."

"Why? What was so serious that you abandoned your brothers and betrayed me? " The blondie was still screaming.

"I had become ... incomplete" Iason sat on the sofa and removed the prosthesis, showing his mutilation. Raoul's eyes narrowed as if to focus and process that new information. When he spoke his voice seemed slightly calmer.

"How did it happen?" He asked.

“It was during the Dana Burn explosion. I sacrificed myself to save Riki."

"I warned you that the bastard would be your downfall!"

"Yes Raoul, and you've always been right but what you don't know is that Riki actually saved me from an imperfect life."

"Do you prefer an imperfect body and a life of lies?"

"Yes my friend, to have Riki by my side. And I couldn't allow Jupiter to force you to erase my memory. You wouldn't have endured it."

"You ... you should have told me the truth!"

“I couldn't Raoul. Your pain would not have been credible in Jupiter's eyes. I used you for my plan. I apologize."

Raoul raised a hand to his head and rubbed his temple. “What do you want me to do with your apologies Iason? Do you have any idea how I felt? Almost seven months! And not a single day when I didn't think of you! 200 nights, and every single night I woke up with a start, imagining you surrounded by flames. Wondering what I could do to avoid it! I had to get drugs from my furniture to be able to rest for at least a few hours. I had to take your role and move to your penthouse and at any time I lived with the ghost of you. You shouldn't ask for my forgiveness!"

Raoul rubbed his temple nervously with his right hand. Eyes closed. Breathless breathing. Slowly the tremor seemed to leave his body and the breaths became slower and more controlled. He opened his eyes and turned them in the direction of Iason. "But ... I missed you. So I'll try to forgive you."

Iason rose to his feet, again on his two legs. “Thanks Raoul. I promise not to betray you again."

The blondie duo huddled together. Raoul initially remained alone, electric and repulsive, but after a while the heat of Iason's arms surrounded him, he too relaxed and returned the embrace.

Riki and Cal meanwhile had gone to rescue Katze, trying not to make noise and not to interrupt the meeting of the blondies. Katze was conscious but in agony. Raoul parted from Iason and let out a sigh. "You have a very stubborn employee," he said. "You should give him a little talk about the fact that sometimes self-preservation must prevail over loyalty. Your pet saved him from a bad situation."

"I guess you're right, Raoul."

“Well, now it looks like I'm going to have to fix it. Where can I lay him down?"

Iason pointed to a room. Raoul went to Katze and, this time with delicacy, lifted him trying not to touch his wounds to then put him belly down on the bed.

“I have medicines in my car. I recommend that you don't touch him until I return."

Raoul came out as if he had been at his house and returned after a few minutes with a suitcase. Riki and Cal were at Katze's bedside holding his hand. “Come on, give me some space, humans. Your black market boss isn't going to die today. Not by my hand at least."

Raoul was an expert biochemist and an eminence of medicine. He gave Katze some injections: a painkiller, an antibiotic and a sleeping pill. Then he applied a local anesthetic and carefully cleaned and disinfected his wounds. He closed with a needle and thread the cut left by the last lash, which was particularly deep, and on the rest of the wounds he applied a healing ointment of his own production. Then he applied gauze and wrapped it with sterile bandages covering each wound.

“I'll come back to see him in the morning. Let him sleep and don't touch the dressings. Don't get him out of bed. Iason? I suppose you have a clean tunic to give me. It's not recommendable for me to go back to Eos dressed as a butcher returning from the slaughterhouse."

"Of course my friend. Feel free to follow me, choose the one you prefer from the wardrobe."

And so Raoul and Iason had reunited. Katze had paid the price. In all this, Riki kept wondering why the hell Raoul went around with a whip hidden under his clothes.


	14. The sun is shining in the morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katze is treated by Raoul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

As promised, Raoul returned very early the next morning. He used his magnetic card to enter and went directly to the underground apartment. When he heard him knock, Cal went to open the door. "Welcome, Lord Am" said the boy with a bow.

"Iason?" the blondie asked, as always straight to the point.

"Oh ... I think he's still sleeping, my Lord"

"This is unacceptable!" Raoul went to the door of Iason and Riki's room and started slamming it hard "Iason! Your new habits leave a lot to be desired. Since when do you still sleep at this time of the morning?"

From inside the room a sleepy Riki began to rub his eyes. "Since when did your best friend become a hysterical father-in-law, Iason?"

"I hear you, impertinent pet!!" A voice came from outside the door.

"Aaah Cursed blondie superhearing!" Riki covered his head with a pillow and Iason gave a little laugh.

“I think it's his way of getting revenge. I'd better go and assist him.” Iason kissed Riki on the forehead, slipped into the shower and quickly rinsed, then put on the first available dress and left the room.

"Good morning Raoul."

“Before you ask me: no, I haven't spoken and I won't tell anyone about your secret, and yes, I kept this part of my memories hidden from Jupiter."

"I wouldn't have imagined anything less from you, Raoul."

"Yet you kept the truth from me."

“As I said before, the reason I kept you in the dark was because although you are extremely good at hiding your thoughts from Jupiter, you can't do the same with your feelings. I needed your sincere pain, Raoul, to convince Jupiter of the reality of my departure. I didn't take care of you and I used you for my purposes. My behavior was unforgivable and yet ... necessary. You were a ... collateral damage."

"By Jupiter! You make me wanna give you another punch and leave!"

“And you would be in your rights, friend. Have you already eaten?"

"Not really," replied the syndicate leader with a half smile "I was in too much of a hurry to come and wake you up at dawn."

Iason laughed openly, then called Cal "Cal please bring something for Raoul and me."

The boy nodded and ran to the kitchen.

"Since when do you use this language with your furniture, Iason?" Raoul asked, surprised at that 'please'.

"In this house we have reduced social differences, brother."

"Mmmh you've changed, Iason."

“You wouldn't be the first to tell me. Now let's have breakfast and then you can go to take care of your patient."

They drank the tea and juice and ate the toasts with butter and jam Cal had served them. After or later on, Raoul entered the room where Katze was resting. The young man didn't seem to have moved since the night before and was still asleep. He took the thermometer and stuck it under his arm to measure the temperature. Then he evaluated other body variables: beats, reflexes, pupil response. When he opened his eye and pointed at the torchlight, Katze woke up with a start.

Half blinded, when he managed to focus and recognized Raoul bent over him, he panicked and tried to get up to flee, then he remembered the pain in his back and shouted when the movement pulled on his wounds .

"Calm down Katze, I came to heal you." Raoul lowered his head sharply back onto the pillow with one hand behind his neck. "Describe your symptoms."

'Shit' Katze thought 'first I am whipped by a furious blondie, then the next morning I am woken up by the same crazy blondie who points a light in my eyes and speaks to me like a biology textbook. Damn fantastic.' "Er ... better, I think" said.

“-Better- is not a symptom. On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate your pain sensation right now?"

"Uh ok, then, if yesterday was 5, today I could rate it at 3."

"Could you find relief with a painkiller?" Raoul knew that if Katze was evaluating his pain at 3 now that he hadn't gotten up yet, he would surely have gotten worse when he made some movement.

"I think so, thank you Lord Am."

"Well. I'll give you something for the pain. Then get up and take care of your physiological needs. I'll tell Cal to make you breakfast."

Katze waited for Raoul to inject the drug, got up carefully without ever leaning his back against the bed, and headed for the bathroom. Now that he was on his feet, his wounds stung him in an unbearable way, he hoped that the drug would take effect soon.

He ate breakfast only because Raoul was checking on him, he wasn't actually hungry but he wanted a cigarette. Luckily Cal had remembered that Katze preferred black coffee in the morning and the sensation of caffeine in his mouth took away his desire for tobacco a little.

Then he went back to bed where Raoul proceeded with the dressing. He carefully wiped the bandages and gauze with disinfectant before removing them, to prevent the blood from clotting and the scabs from peeling off. Then he cleaned up and checked the wounds. The suture was fine, the thread would have reabsorbed on its own within a few days. The other gashes were already healing. There was no beginning of infection or swelling. He returned to apply a generous amount of ointment.

“Thanks to this preparation of my invention you won't have scars, Katze, consider it a small reward for your good intentions. Nonetheless, I should leave you with scars just to serve as a warning to what happens if you try to lie to a blondie."

“I'm sorry Raoul. I had to ... protect my Master." ‘Had I called him Raoul?’ Katze thought ‘What the hell was in my head?’ Luckily the blondie didn't seem to notice Katze's disrespect.

“Did you want to protect Iason from me? What were you afraid of? That I'll be going to report to Jupiter? That I punched him? Ah yes, I did that, in fact. However, the point is that I can't believe you preferred to get whipped rather than tell me the truth. You've known me since how much, Katze? 15 years? You should know that Iason and I have a ... bond. It almost seems that the crude slumdog with which Iason mates knows me better than you. I feel offended by your lack of consideration. And you deserve to be punished again just for the little value you give to your life. I wouldn't have stopped, Katze, would you have died to protect Iason from a nonexistent danger just out of stupid loyalty?”

Raoul waited for Katze to reply.

"I ... I guess so. I think I would have died so as not to betray my Master's trust."

"And do you think it would be beneficial for him if you died for such a futile reason?"

Katze really thought about it "No, it wouldn't be."

"No. In fact, you would have died unnecessarily and would have caused my brother harm with your untimely demise. Try to review your priorities in the future."

Raoul finished the dressing and wrapped a new kit of sterile bandages.

“You should no longer need my assistance from now on. I'll leave Cal with an ointment jar along with instructions on how to look after you in the next few days. Take three days off from work if you want those injuries to repair well."

Raoul left the room. Katze thought long and hard about Raoul's words. What had happened that morning was truly unusual. It almost seemed like Raoul worried about him. Which was impossible, because Raoul was known to be one of Tanagura's most ruthless blondies and Katze had always crawled when he had to deal with him. Lulled by these thoughts and indulging in the effects of the drug, Katze fell asleep again.


	15. Rising from the ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat in Guy's apartment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

A couple of days later Riki was in Guy's apartment. He was standing at the window with a cigarette in his hand, looking at the narrow, stinking and garbage-filled alley. Two rats were arguing over food scraps. He threw his cigarette and went back inside, where Guy was busy writing something on his terminal.

Guy took his duties as an intermediary between Ceres and the black market very seriously and he had made great strides in the short time he had available. Given that Katze's business had taken off thanks to Iason's skills, and the funds from the blondie's legacy had enabled many targeted investments, Katze/Iason's assets had practically became unlimited. And it kept increasing.

These favorable conditions meant that Riki persuaded Iason and Katze to play a social role in Ceres. In practic, what the black market did in Ceres was purely disinterested. It was voluntary. They took care of providing, free of charge, to every boy who just left Guardian a dataslate with records that would give them basic education and entertainment alternative from those offered by Stout's dizziness. Food, a place to live and be initial funds to supply for their basic needs without having to go and steal from Midas.

They also guided and instructed them, thanks to targeted courses, to learn a job: mechanics, hydraulics, carpentry, metalworking, medicine, agriculture, teaching, construction of new buildings and renovation of existing ones, computer technology, construction of new objects from scraps. All useful things within the slums.

In order to make this possible, Guy had personally chosen some trusted people among the inhabitants of Ceres and each one, in exchange of a salary, had been assigned a sector of competence. Even the teachers had been personally selected by Guy amid the Ceresians who had the required skills and predisposition for teaching.

The ashes of Ceres, that was the part that had been destroyed by the explosion of Dana Burn, had become the fertile ground for reconstruction: education centers, new apartments, social canteens, medical centers, factories, parks, vegetable gardens, roads, centers distribution of food and primary goods. New buildings and structures come to existence every day.

Katze had made the plans and building materials available, but the workers were all volunteers: Ceres boys and men with hope for the future. Many of them were survivors of the destroyed areas, who had lost their friends and companions.

Yes things were improving in Ceres, but there was still some way to go.

"Tell me Guy," said Riki as he served himself a cup of coffee from the carafe. "How are the road sanitation, water purification and waste recycling projects going?"

“I'm working on them right now, Riki. I sent Katze an email with a sewer map because we need an expert from Midas. For the sanitation of the streets, however, we organized the teams. They should start next week. The waste collected from the streets which can not be reused will partly be brought in the new incinerator. Organic waste in the compost container, and the rest in that warehouse, on the east side where it will be sorted and prepared for recycling. But recycling machines still have flaws. We need technicians with experience in this area to overcome the problems ."

"Mmmh" Riki got up to go and get some biscuits from the shelf "I will ask Iason. In Tanagura they are very ahead with this of recycling things. I am sure he can find someone competent who wants to collaborate with the Ceres sanitation project."

"Ok, let me know." Guy closed the terminal and put his hand to his temple and massaged it a bit. He had spent too much time in front of that screen. “About Iason. How's it going with the other blondie?"

“He's in our house right now. I went away on purpose, He's unbearable with me. He acts like he is the owner of the house and treats me like an annoying insect. He's a thorn in the ass, but I don't want to fight or get in the way with Iason. As much as an asshole he can be, I think he really suffered from Iason's 'death', so I will leave him alone ... For a while.

Ah, and then today he was pissed off because he surprised Katze in his office climbing a ladder to get a filing cabinet. He took him by the waist and brought him back his bed at our house, scolded him and forced him to drink some kind of energy smoothie full of craps. You should have seen Katze's face! He looked like a Guardian child with a low gaze while the teacher gives him a rebuke. I really don't envy him. Anyway ... I'm glad Raoul is back in Iason's life. I believe that my blondie also suffered from the absence of his best friend, even though he never pointed it out."

"Don't you think you should do the same, Riki?"

"Uh, in what sense?"

“Trust someone. Luke, Sid and Norris still think you died in that space accident. As you know, they are very active in Ceres' reconstruction projects and I see them quite often. You could tell them the truth. A few more friends would do you some good."

Riki soaked the biscuit in the coffee while looking at an invisible point in the wall. "I ... will think about it." he said finally. “But you have to promise me to try to make peace with Iason. Fuck come on, you work practically together, it's like you're colleagues. And then we have been living as neighbors for a long time. Look, he is not mad at you, seriously! It's all in your head."

"Okay, so ... I guess I'll think about it too."


	16. The master and the pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pure porn chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

"On the table, pet, on your back" It was an order. Iason had suddenly switched to Master mode.

They were playing billiard. Riki was bent over the table and concentrated because it was a particularly difficult hole. Iason watched from a short distance his tight muscular ass in his thin black leather pants. The buttocks moved and contracted, small movements that could have been perceived only by a careful and interested look. Iason quickly approached and snatched the stick from his hand.

Riki was immediately aroused. A mixed shiver of lust and fear that flowed through his body. He obeyed the order without saying a word climbing on the pool table.

Iason took the billiard cue and started to touch him with it. He bent Riki's legs resting the soles of his feet on the table and spreading them apart. He began to rub the tip of the billiard cue on his balls and groin. The thrill of Riki's groin muscles could also be seen from beneath the leather of his trousers. Then he moved the tip between the buttocks. Riki looked up to see and Iason tapped him on the butt with the same stick.

“Don't try it, pet. Close your eyes."

Riki made a small cry and immediately lowered his head. He obeyed the order. Iason began to stimulate the line between Riki' buttocks and lingered on the anus. Pushing the tip with small circular movements. Even from through the trousers and the underwear, the feeling was heavenly. Riki started to moan. He wanted more.

Iason left the splint. He opened the buttons of his trousers and started to pull them off. Riki raised his pelvis to help with the operation. He removed one leg at the time and dropped them on the ground. Now the underwear. An elastic smooth black cotton thong.

Since he no longer had a penis to protect, and on Iason's advice, Riki had started wearing women's underwear. All simple things though, without lace and frills. Riki did not want to appear feminine, but he liked the comfort and softness of that type of clothing. And above all there was no empty space on the front.

Iason grabbed Riki's pelvis to bring it to the edge of the pool table, lifted his legs, leaned them on his shoulders and began to penetrate him anus with his tongue, teasing the jagged edges and licking back and forth between his buttocks.

Riki was now breathing loudly, making faces and small moans. Iason got away for a moment, to return with a little bottle of lubricant and a condom. He picked up the billiard barrel and slipped the condom into the tip. Then he lubricated it well, removed his pant and slowly started to put it in Riki's hole.

The mongrel jumped. He wanted to see what Iason was putting inside him but he could not disobey the order to keep his eyes closed. He bit his lip to resist the temptation. Then he opened his mouth and began to breathe slowly trying to control himself not to cum yet. With his hands he stroked the velvety surface of the pool table, squeezing and releasing something invisible.

Iason began to make circular movements with the barrel inserted in Riki for 20 centimeters. Without ceasing to make that motion, he started licking Riki's groin which was red, throbbing and hard. His testicles were also stiff and aching.

"Not yet, Riki, not yet." Iason whispered softly.

He removed the billiard barrel, lubricated himself and penetrated him in one movement. Riki didn't expect it. He shouted. But there was no pain.

Iason began to fuck him rhythmically, slowly coming out almost completely and then returning until the end in one thrust. Riki cum almost immediately with a spasm and a prolonged moan.

Iason started fucking him faster by slamming the pool table into the wall. The game balls on the green velvet bounced and moved from all sides. He kept fucking him for several minutes until the he came too, shooting his semen into the hot anal canal.

Iason slumped over Riki and stayed there for a few minutes. Then he kissed him on the mouth, moved the tufts that had remained stuck to the sweaty forehead and whispered in his ear "You didn't ask me for permission" while kissing him again on the lips.

"Yes ... I ... I haven't thought about it. I forgot to ask."

"Well. I'm happy." The blondie replied. He kissed him again, broke away from him and helped him getting off the table.

Iason dressed quickly. Riki summarily wiped the sperm from his belly with his briefs and put on his trousers.

"Shower. What do you say?" asked the young man

"Sounds like a good idea." replied Iason. Together they made their way to the bathroom.


	17. Add a seat at the table

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A funny dinner at Iason's house

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Cal had surpassed himself that evening. He had prepared a royal dinner: there were various types of appetizers, a large stuffed turkey, four different side dishes, delicious sauces and a special dessert: a semifreddo with berries, dark chocolate and caramel mousse.

Well he really hadn't done it all alone. Riki had helped him preparing most of the appetizers, filling the turkey while Cal took care of the side dishes and he had kept an eye on baking. Cal was always afraid of pulling it out raw or overcooked but Riki was good at figuring out the right level of browning.

Riki had also helped Cal preparing the table. They had stretched the lounge table to the maximum and put an elegant tablecloth, and all the dishes, glasses, cutlery and napkins that demanded the bon ton. Raoul, Guy and Katze would come for dinner. Riki was actually a little nervous.

***

When Iason two days earlier had told Raoul that Guy, the ex of Riki who had caused the explosion of Dana Burn, lived nearby and collaborated with Katze's affairs, Raoul had become hysterical.

He had begun to reproach Iason harshly for not killing that human and accusing him of having become a too tender heart and that it was all the fault of that wild pet. Riki was nearby and counted internally up to 10 so he would not burst.

“Iason, I really don't understand. That human wanted to kill you and himself. He caused the explosion that produced your accident, forcing you to hide from Jupiter. He destroyed the Herbay sector and killed all the citizens of Amoi who lived there. And you: save him from the carnage, have him treated and give him an apartment and a job? Sorry but it doesn't really make sense!"

Raoul turned his head to the other side with an irritated air. Iason smiled. He found these offended Raoul attitudes irresistible.

“See dear Raoul, your reasoning is right, but the point is that I found that human interesting. The fact that he has come so far to achieve a goal, however questionable his purpose was and his somewhat ill methods, is commendable,he showed determination. He is a tenacious human and is carrying out his current duties with commitment and intelligence. So Raoul I invite you to behave properly towards him during the day after, for dinner. I really wouldn't want to lose a good pawn just because my dear brother is unable to control himself."

“Umph, I certainly wouldn't get my hands dirty with some mongrel scum, anyway. But don't ask me to be nice to him, I won't."

Iason exploded into laughter. "My friend, it would never have occurred to me, since you can't show sympathy even for my Riki."

Riki, who in the meantime had counted to the number 500, when he heard about him again as if he were not there he could not refrain from answering. "Hey I'm here, if you didn't notice!"

"Yes, love, I know," replied Iason, "and I am grateful to you for not biting my grumpy brother yet. But I think you should not continue to challenge fate, dear Raoul."

"Well, if my presence disturbs your pet, and this disturbs you, I can go, just say it!" said the blondie offended.

"You don't bother me," Riki replied calmly, getting on his feet and approaching the sofa where the two were sitting and heading directly to Raoul. “because Iason likes you to be here. But this is also my home and I'm not a pet, I have a name. I'm no longer a decorative element of the house, we are not in Eos. And the same goes for Cal. He is no longer a piece of furniture. He is a domestic worker. He receives a salary.

I'm not asking you to treat me like your peer because it would be too much to ask of you, but don't ignore me. Don't talk about me, Raoul, talk to me. Here we are not an Elite, a furniture and a pet. We are three people living together ... we are a family. And it would be nice to consider you part of the family too because you are important to Iason. But it's up to you to reduce the distances."

Iason said nothing, but took Riki's hand and make him move until the man sat on his lap. Raoul looked up and turned to look Riki in the eye.

"Very well, RIKI" He put an emphasis on his name as if to highlight it with sarcasm. “I will talk TO you and always tell you everything I think. But don't go complaining to Iason when it won't be nice."

"I don't ask for anything more, dear brother in law." said Riki with an amused smile that went from ear to ear.

“So, after that I think I could throw up. RIKI. "

***

Dinner was extremely welcome by all. Raoul was seated between Iason and Katze. Cal, Guy and Riki followed. Everyone was so busy eating with delight that there was no conversation.

Cal got up constantly to take away the dirty dishes and bring new ones, check on the foods, bring the drinks, change the courses ... so much so that he had practically not touched his plate. Riki had to force him to eating seating him on his chair with authority.

Raoul occasionally looked curiously at that tall human with brown hair gathered in a ponytail and a missing arm. Hard to believe he was responsible for the tragedy that hit Amoi eight months earlier.

Guy struggled with himself to behave naturally and not appear awkward, but as a result it had the opposite effect. He was really looking forward to the evening ending.

After several glasses of wine from the best vineyard in Amoi and an excellent vintage, everyone became a little tipsy and the atmosphere relaxed. The dessert was truly heavenly and they all applauded Cal.

Riki had an idea and they made a board game. Each wrote the name of a famous person on a card, without showing it to the others. Then they mixed the signs and stick it on the forehead. Everyone could see the name of the character except the one who wore the tag, who had to guess the name of his character by asking questions to others to which they had to answer with a yes or no.

The problem was that Raoul wrote Gideon Lagat, Iason wrote Orphe Zavi, Cal and Katze both wrote Jupiter, and Guy and Riki wrote Marcus and Phil respectively (which were famous mongrels that had led the revolution centuries before, but were known only in Ceres).

The result was that Guy found Gideon's name written on his forehead and as much as he asked questions he just couldn't understand the character. Iason and Raoul fished Marcus and Phil, and after dozens of unsuccessful attempts they literally tore the card from their foreheads looking at it with startled eyes and asking who the heck those humans were. Cal and Katze fished each other's card and guessed with one question, which was "Am I the undisputed God of the planet?"

Riki, who had the Orphe Zavi card, also guessed. Although it took several questions. Eventually he asked "Am I the fucking sadistic blondie responsible for all the fucking Eos rules?" When they answered yes he said the name of the character, took the tag, crumpled it into a ball and threw it angrily on the other side of the room.

Raoul only said, "Try to wash your mouth with soap and water when you talk about one of my brothers, RIKI."

Later they moved on to the spirits. Ten different selections of highly alcoholic aromatic distillates. Cal and Katze served themselves a glass of berry and myrtle liqueur respectively, but left it practically intact. They were fine, it was right not to have an empty glass.

Iason served himself a Cognac and Raoul a Cointreau, and they held their glass in their hands sipping slowly and jingling the ice cubes.

Riki, who had refined his tastes since he lived with Iason, had served himself brandy. He too began to sip it slowly enjoying the droplets of drink on his taste buds.

Guy tried instead .... all! He had never had to deal with such expensive spirits and was curious to try them. Furthermore, not being used to consuming alcohol of this type, he drank them in one sip as if they were Stout.

Riki at one point became apprehensive and started telling him to go easy, but Guy replied offended not to treat him like a child because he was able to look after himself. Half an hour later Guy got to his feet, staggering around the room, gleefully chatting about rival gangs, cutting weapons and motorcycles and fluttering typical slum bar songs.

Raoul looked at him amused and shocked at the same time. He tried to convince Katze to drink more and began to tuck his glass back. He was curious about how the ex-furniture would react to alcohol abuse. But Katze was not persuaded and politely declined.

Guy instead, after a couple of dirty jokes and a ballet that threw him ass on the floor, approached Raoul and with a too deep bow asked "Would you offer me this seat, Mister blondie?".

Raoul, more and more amused, got up and gave up his seat answering the bow.

To which, Guy sat down, brought his chair closer to Iason's, and began to speak to him very loudly, telling him that they had to fix things, because he was Riki's blondie, and therefore Guy loved him as a brother.

He said he wasn't angry with him because of his arm,he was used to it by now and he liked it that way. He also told him that he was grateful for all he had done for him and was doing for Ceres. He thanked him because since he was with him, Riki was happier. He told him that even though he was a fucking Tanagura android blondie, he was a nice person.

Then he named a new brotherhood between blondies and mongrels that would be sealed at that precise moment. He grabbed Iason's face and stamped a kiss on his mouth as a signature for the new brotherhood.

Iason, who was listening, interested and amused at the same time, to the mongrel's confessions, smiling and nodding, when he suddenly found Guy's lips on him, turned to look for Riki with a panicked look.

Riki, even more amused than Iason by his ex's speech, nodded to Iason. He got up, detached Guy from the blondie, lifted him up supporting him from under one shoulder so as not to drop him and said. "Come friend, I think it's time to bring you home."

Guy, with half-masted eyes and giving almost all his weight to Riki, said: “No Riki, we are having fun! Bring the cards out! We have to play at Gigolò!"

“Yes yes, tomorrow Guy. Now let's go to sleep."

"Ok" Guy began to follow Riki obediently letting himself be supported towards the door that led to the Ceres side. Almost immediately afterwards Katze and Raoul also took their leave, the latter however said that he wanted to play this game, Gigolo, the next time they would meet.

Cal began to tidy up the room while Iason finished his drink. A few minutes later Riki returned.

“I made him throw up and put him to bed. He fell asleep immediately." He said.

Iason took Riki's face in his hands, brought his lips close and kissed him deeply. A long kiss, which lasted several minutes. Eventually he broke away and solemnly declared. "This is the only mongrel I want to kiss"

"Mmmmh good" Riki replied and kissed him in turn, lightly biting his upper lip. Iason lifted Riki weightily and like a bride took him to their room.


	18. Ceres' law

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riki meets his old gang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

The next day, late in the morning, Riki knocked on Guy's apartment. Having no answer he knocked again with more force. In the end, since the door had not been locked, he decided to open and enter. He found Guy still lying on the bed snoring loudly.

He opened the window to allow the light to enter and the mongrel turned over on the bed emitting plaintive verses and incomprehensible curses.

"Good morning sunshine" Riki exclaimed with a 32-tooth smile "I brought you two aspirins, I'm going to make coffee so you can get them. Meanwhile, I suggest you go for a shower because you still smell like vomit."

Guy got up rubbing his temples. “Please shoot me now. My head is killing me!"

"Mmm I'll mark it on the agenda ..."

He tried to walk staggering but at the second step he lost his balance and Riki caught him before he smashed to the ground. Suddenly he covered his mouth with his hand "I'm going to throw up!"

He ran to the bathroom and emptied all the contents of his stomach into the toilets. When he was done, he felt better, washed his mouth and face and went to the kitchen.

“What the hell happened yesterday? I remember up to that stupid game of cards on the forehead."

"Mmm nothing important ... you sang a couple of songs, told dirty jokes and danced onto the floor. Then you kicked Raoul out of his chair to take his place, you told Iason that you loved him and kissed him on the mouth. Finally, you proposed everyone to play Gigolò. In conclusion it was a nice evening and we had fun."

Guy listened to the report looking at Riki with wide eyes "Please tell me that you are making fun of me and that I actually slept all the time!"

"No, sorry, it's all true."

Riki handed Guy the cup of coffee and the aspirins and he put them both in his mouth and took them down with a single sip. "Ok ... so what may I do? Leave the planet? Are Iason and Raoul pissed at me?"

“Actually no, Raoul was tremendously amused. I think he became your fan. And Iason liked the things you said. He liked the kiss a little less but I made him forget it quickly afterwards in the bedroom" Riki winked slyly.

“Come on, don't worry, in the end it was nothing serious. Next time go easy on that alcoholic shit. That's luxury stuff, it's not Stout that you run rivers down your stomach until you fuck your guts. Anyway ... I hadn't come to visit you just to bring you aspirins and make fun of you, I think you kept your part of the pact of taking the first step with Iason, so I will keep mine. I'll see Luke, Sid and Norris. Organize yourself."

"Wow Riki I'm ... happy. Then I'll talk to them and organize a meeting. Look but ... aren't you pissed? I mean, you said I kissed Iason ... you should want to punch me."

“It was actually really fun. Iason's face last night and yours this morning are priceless. So ... peace!" Riki winked again and after blowing a kiss in the air with his hand he left the apartment.

***

Two weeks later Guy had invited Sid, Norris and Luke to his house to have a few beers and talk business.

“So, Guy, why would you want to introduce us to this person? What does this have to do with our work?" Luke asked as he pulled four cans out of the fridge.

The boys were respectively responsible for the rehabilitation sectors of Ceres (Luke), distribution of food crates to needy inhabitants (Norris) and orientation of new arrivals from Guardian (Sid). All three had a team of guys who worked for them and had taken their responsibilities very seriously.

Norris' mating partner, Maxi, was the main teacher for the mechanics course and instructed the young people on how to repair and build motorcycles and other means of transport. The mechanics course took place right in the shop that served as the facade of the Ceresian base of the black market, that is, in the warehouse where Guy's apartment was also located and the secret access to the underground refuge.

“And then Guy, sooner or later you'll have to tell us who the benefactors are who finance all these projects. Or don't you want to share your golden egg hen with your ex gangmates? Eh?"

“You already know I can't reveal the names of my superiors, Luke. You always try it! However, I would like you to know about this new staff acquisition because I think he has potential, and I would like you to help him settle in."

"Ok ok. I don't understand why you can't trust us anyway. It's not as if we were going to spread your secrets around. What we are doing is for everyone's benefit and it's also in our interest to protect its secrecy. We could help you more if you opened up with us."

"Yes Guy," Sid added, slamming the can on the table. "You want to be a superhero and have all these responsibilities on your own, but you may take a breakdown like you had ten months ago. I remind you that you seemed a madman frustrated with that Riki affair that lived as a pet for that blondie in Apathia. Then you behaved strangely for several weeks, disappeared for a month and suddenly reappeared without an arm and with this new job."

“We deserve to know more about, Guy” Norris intervened “We had no secrets between us when Bison was there. Riki always demanded the utmost sincerity. Even if he himself wasn't sincere with us ... if he had told us about the blondie when he reappeared in Ceres after being gone for three years, maybe we could have helped him."

"For Riki the Dark!" Luke raised the can to propose a toast "That wherever you are, we hope you are happy!"

"For Riki the Dark" Sid and Norris repeated, also raising their cans.

Guy had stayed a little aside without taking part in the toast. There was a knock on the door.

“It must be my guest. I'm going to open." Guy disappeared into the corridor. He returned accompanied by a shorter man with black hair and olive skin.

"Oh shit." Luke dropped the can he held in his hand "Riki?"

All three of Bison's ex members blinked at the sight of their old leader.

"Hi Guys!" Riki smiled a little moved, with sparkling eyes for the contentment of seeing his old friends again.

"Bad piece of an ungrateful bastard!" Luke got up and went to hug Riki almost to crush him. Sid and Norris also joined in the embrace, then began to pat him affectionately on the back and ruffle his hair.

"Damn Riki, we all thought you were dead on that spaceship! What happened? Had the blondie left you on the ground? And where have you been all these months? How are you?" The boys began to studded with questions. They pushed a beer into his hand and forced him to sit among them like vultures on a piece of meat and hanging from his mouth.

"Hey guys make room for me," Riki was starting to feel a little suffocated. "I ... I'll tell you everything ... I missed you. I'm glad to see you again!"

Riki took a sip from his can to calm down the tremor that gripped his stomach a little.

"I'm very good. I have been working with Guy since the beginning of the Ceres rebirth plans.”

“Fuck Riki, and you tell us only now? Have you been here for months and haven't shown up?"

"No ... I actually can't show myself around. It's better that Ceres don't know about me. It's a secret guys, you absolutely must not tell anyone I'm alive. Not even to Maxi."

"Ok ok" Norris felt called "Quiet Riki. I won't say anything."

"Neither do I" Sid and Luke said almost in unison. "But can you explain what happens now?"

Riki told everything from the beginning. Ever since Iason had caught him pickpocketing in Midas and Riki had taken him to that motel to repay his silence to Dana Burn. He recounted how they had to pretend they had died to escape Jupiter and the underground shelter in which he had lived with Iason for nearly ten months. And finally he told how he managed to convince his blondie to finance the reconstruction of Ceres.

The three mongrels listened carefully all the time, which was several hours of storytelling. Eventually Sid broke the silence that had arisen at the end of the story. "Would you say that Guy cut your cock off and caused the explosion of Dana Burn who destroyed half of Ceres?"

"Yes but …"

Without Riki having time to finish talking, Sid, Norris and Luke had stood up and were heading towards Guy with angry eyes and tight fists ready to strike. Guy, who had remained on the sidelines, was already considering the possibility of escape when Riki jumped up and positioned himself in front of the three friends to protect him.

"Stand aside Riki." said Luke "we'll solve this among ourselves."

“No guys, so you're not better than him. What he did to me ... is a matter between me and Guy. And as for the explosion, he's ... trying to fix it. He didn't want to do so much damage."

Luke didn't move from his position and replied firmly "Nine shots, Riki, three each. I think Guy is able to catch them. Quite right?"

The question was addressed directly to Guy who had not moved from his position "Yes Riki" Guy said with sadness and resignation for having disappointed his companions "They are right. Let them pass."

Riki stepped aside. It no longer depended on him.

Luke started with a strong punch on the nose, one near the left eye and one knee on the stomach. Guy did nothing to defend himself and on the third blow he collapsed on the ground.

Then it was Sid's turn, who hit the body lying on the ground with a kick in the face, one on the stomach and one in the ribs.

Finally it was Norris' turn. A strong kick to the kidneys, one in the ribs and one on the balls.

Guy was a trembling mess curled up on the ground with his face swollen and bleeding. Sid, Luke and Norris patted Riki on the shoulder as if to greet him. "See you soon" said Luke, and they left.

Justice was done. It was Ceres' law. They would have brought no grudge to Guy or return to the matter.


	19. Minosi Kan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very interesting idea from Iason

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Twelve months since Dana Burn.

Katze, Riki, Iason and Guy were seated around the large round table in the lounge examining the construction plans and the Ceres’ map.

“The medical center in section C6 is almost finished. The glass, paper and metal recycling centers are fully operational. The plastic one still has functional problems, we are storing the materials in compressed cubes in this warehouse in the G8 sector, awaiting for a solution. The residential buildings of the northwest part have been occupied. Next week we will demolish the dangerous ones in neighborhood 4 and all the residents will be transferred to the new buildings that have just been finished in this red-circled area."

Guy was doing the usual monthly report to the steering group. Luke, Norris and Sid had been invited to listen and were sitting on the sofa nearby.

"That area shouldn't have been for agriculture, Guy?" Iason asked while with his blondie super-brain he was recording the data of four projects at the same time.

“Yes, that was the idea, Iason, but we wouldn't have had another place to build. With better living conditions the population is increasing. In the past year we have recorded 75% fewer deaths than in the last century. In addition, the boys almost no longer go to Midas to steal and there have been no disappearances resulting from the detentions by Mida’s policemen. The few women living outside Guardian are starting to give birth at home and keeping their children in families rather than taking them to Guardian."

“Maternity centers will be needed, the women of Ceres must be monitored, assisted and protected. We must make sure that children are no longer brought to Guardian to be mistreated and many of them mutilated and turned into furnitures! And we need a mongrel army to protect us from Midas and Tanagura." Riki intervened.

"I agree" Iason said "In conclusion we need: space for agriculture, breeding, new factories, kindergartens, maternity centers and a barrack for military training. In addition to new residential centers and parks. We need more territory. Herbay."

"Herbay?" Katze asked in confusion. “But it's part of Midas. It's Jupiter's territory!"

"Correct Katze." Iason underlined “But in the last 12 months no reconstruction work has been carried out in Herbay, it remained a ghost area and it's totally uninhabited. It seems that Jupiter is not interested in that territory. It might be willing to sell it."

"Sell it to whom?" Riki asked

"Uhmmm I would say ... to a powerful investor from another planet" Iason smiled, he had just had a very interesting idea.

***

In the Jupiter tower the twelve blondies dressed in their sumptuous ceremonial clothes were gathered in council. The agenda was almost over. The syndicate leader, Lord Raoul Am, leaded the meeting.

"Dear brothers. Before I declare the board over, I need your attention on an extraordinary request that came to my desk this morning. It is an extraplanetary missive, precisely from the Galan solar system. An offer was made by a private individual to purchase the Herbay sector."

"Herbay? And who would ever want to buy that pile of ruins?" Lord Orphe Zavi intervened.

"We don't know much about it" replied Lord Am. "Only that there is no political interest in it. The potential buyer is a tycoon, an investor, but we are not aware of his goals on Amoi."

"It could be a risk" said Lord Aisha Rosen. "If this individual began to transfer inhabitants from his planet to here, a colony of Galan would form inside Amoi and this could lead to invasions and revolts."

"In the purchase proposal it is expressly indicated that no living beings will be transferred from Galan." Lord Am specified. “The most plausible hypothesis is that the tycoon wants the territory for personal purposes. Probably build an isolated private villa surrounded by large spaces. Maybe a few casinos and luxury hotels for wealthy guests.”

"Herbay is part of Midas, so the decision is up to Gideon." said Lord Zavi.

"Correct" said Lord Am "Gideon, the final decision is yours."

Lord Gideon Lagat took the floor. "How high is the offer, Raoul?"

“It is very generous. Three times the effective cadastral value of land of that size in that territorial position."

"And why would this private person offer such a large sum?" asked Lord Lagat.

"I suppose the answer must remain unknown to us but I can deduce that this person is not really aware of the real state of Herbay nor of the actual value of the Amoian currency compared to the extraplanetary currencies."

"What's the investor's name?"

"Minosi Kan" replied Raoul "Only name and surname, no status title. It seems that the magnate has no noble origins."

“Mmmh, therefore, he is just an eccentric rich man without nobility titles or political status. Very well" sentenced Lord Lagat "Tell Mr. Kan that we accept his purchase proposal."

***

The phone in Katze's office rang. It was the special communicator, the encrypted one invisible to the waves of Jupiter. The caller's monitor said 'Raoul'. Riki replied smiling.

\- Good morning dear brother-in-law. -

\- Katze? - Raoul stood out for his usual coldness.

\- He's not here. He went to collect credits from defaulting customers. -

\- Alone? -

\- No, actually he had brought a couple of angry strong men with him. Why do you ask RAOUL? Concerned about the safety of the Amoi black market boss? -

\- Actually I worry about my brother RIKI. If something happens to Katze, he will find himself unprotected -

\- I'm sure Iason would find other ways to protect himself. Anyway don't worry Raoul, Katze's life is safe. Unless other furious blond androids arrive with torture weapons hidden under the clothes. -

\- I will not catch your disrespectful provocation, mongrel. Rather, I wanted to warn you that you can communicate to your roommate that the purchase proposal has been approved by the council. Mr. Minosi Kan will receive the property contracts to be signed within a few days. -

Riki screamed for victory and made a couple of euphoric turns with the chair.

\- Wow Raoul! I love you! You are a fucking genius! -

\- Mmmh this conversation is getting honeyed. It bores me when I don't feel your sarcasm. -

\- But you were great !! I can't be sarcastic about this !! You managed to convince all those slicked stockfish! The next time you come I will give you a foot massage! -

\- Mmm I'll pass. Rather, I might like such a service from your funny mongrel friend with long hair. He was quite interesting. -

\- Guy? Ok I understand, everyone except me. And if you had to choose between Guy and Katze who would you prefer, Raoul? -

\- I don't understand, human. You mean who I would take as a pet? -

\- No, sadistic pervert! You are attached in Eos with these things. I mean as ... companion to spend the evening, interlocutor, temporary partner. Mean ... if you were on a desert planet, who would you rather have with you? Katze or Guy? -

\- I don't see why I should be on a desert planet in the company of a human.

\- But it's an example! It's not a real situation!

\- Also there are no desert habitable planets. If there are no life forms it means that said planet is not compatible with life. Consequently we could not survive.

\- Uff Raoul. You're taking time. Guy or Katze? -

\- I think both humans are interesting. The ex furniture shows strong intelligence and business sense. The mongrel instead demonstrates shamelessness and a sense of humor.

\- You still don't answer. I will change the question. With whom does it get hard?

\- Getting hard?

\- Yes. You understood me very well.

\- You mean like male pets? -

\- Yes Raoul, as well as all men and elites. Unless Iason is one of a kind, but I don't think so.

\- I don't see how the physiological responses of my body can help me define my preferences between two humans.

\- Seeing is believing. Take it as one of your science experiments. If you understand with whom it becomes hard faster, it's done!

\- It could be an interesting study. Compare the physiological responses of my sexual organ in the presence of two human to choose the best interlocutor. Maybe I will follow your advice, Riki.

\- Yes good Raoul, then let me know how the experiment go.

Riki winked at Raoul and closed the call. Then he started laughing on his own without being able to stop and went on like this for a while until he was out of breath.

***

That afternoon, when Iason left the study, he found Riki waiting for him in the lounge with a glass of very expensive red wine in his hand. "Good afternoon Mr. Kan, I was waiting for you to celebrate Herbay's upcoming purchase. Looks like the council approved your proposal. "

Riki swirled the contents of his big glass of wine and raised it as if to propose a toast.

"I had no doubts about it, love. I suppose it's a pleasant development of the events."

"Oh yes Mr. Kan. This changes everything. More territory means more power for Ceres. It's an occasion to celebrate."

"And how was my business partner going to celebrate?"

"I'll show you right away!"

Riki took a sip of wine and approached Iason invading his mouth and transferring the powerful drink down his throat. Then he began to take his clothes off, one by one, whispering in his ear that he had given Cal a free afternoon. He would not return until evening.

Riki still kept his clothes on while Iason had been completely undressed. He pushed him towards the table. "Get on the table, Mr. Kan, just sit up."

Iason obeyed sitting on the large round surface of polished wood. Riki removed his prosthesis, took his organ in his mouth and began to suck it voraciously. The blondie held a hand behind his lover's head guiding his movements and stroking the soft hair.

When Iason's penis was hard, Riki quickly undressed, got on the table too and pushed Iason's body down to spread it on the wooden surface. He sat on the blondie's belly, took up his glass and drank another sip of wine, repeating the action of transferring it into the other's mouth with a deep kiss.

Then he started kissing Iason's whole body, biting his earlobe, neck and nipples. Finally he dipped two fingers into the ornated glass and with them he penetrated himself, spreading and preparing his own hole to accept the blondie's cock.

When the preparation was sufficient he directed the tip still wet with saliva of the Iason's organ towards the tender and warm entrance and began to impale himself slowly. The blondie let out an appreciative moan.

When it was completely inside, he began to move slowly raising and lowering his pelvis. Iason put his hand on Riki's groin and started to masturbate him, the precum that had already escaped from the urethra made the blondie's fingers slippery causing the mongrel an intense pleasure.

Soon the movements began to become faster and more excited. Iason used his other hand to support his lover's weight a little by helping him focus on pleasure.

The first to cum was Riki, who splashed the viscous white liquid on Iason's belly with a series of shots accompanied by liberating moans. Then Iason put his hands behind Riki's back quickly moving to a sitting position and starting to fuck him quickly making his lover's body bounce strongly.

Riki shouted. His balls slamming into Iason's pelvis. In a few minutes he was excited again. The movement was so violent and fast that shortly afterwards Riki cried out for his release again. Almost simultaneously Iason also cum and surrounded the body with his arms hugging him tightly.

"Thanks for what you're doing for Ceres" Riki whispered into Iason's ear after regaining control of his voice. "Thanks."

A tear fell from an obsidian-colored iris and slid towards a white synthetic cheek. The thin olive fingers gently stroked long ivory threads.


	20. The scientific method

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raoul puts Riki's advice into practice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

After the signing of the contract, which took place in Katze's offices with the head of the syndicate present, the Herbay territory officially became the property of a private individual: Minosi Kan.

Except for Raoul, nobody in Tanagura had had a chance to meet this eccentric billionaire and the 11 blondies were intrigued. Everyone wanted to know what the Galanian tycoon would build on that wasteland.

Riki was not slow in organizing a celebration dinner. 'Soon we will need a bigger desk' he thought as he arranged the table cloth.

In addition to the guests of the previous dinner, there would also have Luke, Norris and Sid, on the other hand they too had all the reasons to celebrate as they were now an integral part of the project.

Iason and Raoul would have been hailed as heroes. The first for having the idea of Herbay and for financed it and the second one for collaborating and work the board, pushing it to accept the sale.

***

Raoul positioned himself again between Katze and Iason. Cal, Riki, Guy and the remaining ex Bison members followed.

The dinner was very pleasant and close-knit, the three new mongrels were not uncomfortable with the blondies and interacted with them as if they were old bandmates.

Guy was particularly cheerful feeling protected among his friends and having now overcome his stormy past with Iason. The only unknown for him remained Raoul. He had not yet had the opportunity to see again the eccentric blondie from his alcoholic show a few months earlier.

Riki watched Raoul closely: the blondie was behaving strangely, and the black-haired ex-pet knew exactly the reason.

He was particularly talkative with Katze and conversed in politics, market, biotechnology, botany and computer technology. The ex-furniture was always prepared for any type of topic.

Every now and then he got up and sat down again, he frequently stretched his tunic, moved left and right in his place as if to sit down and wrote down data on a notepad. About halfway through the dinner, the sindycate leader asked Riki to switch places.

"Of course" accepted the mongrel smiling.

So Raoul found himself seated between a busy Cal (who actually didn't really sit there) and a suddenly frightened Guy.

Raoul began to converse with the mongrel with long brown hair. “So, Guy, I heard that you were mating with Riki before my brother took him as a pet. I would be interested to know what you liked about him. It would help me understand why Iason got involved with that human so much.”

Guy started to sweat cold. "Ah, well ... Lord Am ... is ..."

"Please call me Raoul"

"Uh ok ... Lord Raoul. You see, Riki and I ..."

"Only Raoul, Guy, let's forget the pleasantries."

"O ... okay. Here, Riki and I have known each other for many years. We were together, as children in Guardian, in the same sector. W ... when he came out of Guardian, a year after me, it was a natural thing to meet again."

“Mmmh this would explain a brotherhood, Guy, a friendship. It doesn't explain why you decided to mate."

"So, Riki was ... is special. In fact, everyone was in love with him. I ... I don't know why he chose me." Guy started to feel confused. Why was he telling such intimate things to that blondie? He had never even mentioned it to his friends. Not even to Riki himself. It is true that it was the blondie who questioned him and he had to answer, but he could have said anything and was telling the truth instead.

"You mean you were in love with Riki just because everyone was, Guy?"

"N ... no, I was sincere. Riki was truly special. Strong. Proud. Courageous. There was nothing that frightened him. And he was a natural leader. He always knew what to do. I ... I couldn't believe my ears when Riki accepted my offer. I felt in seventh heaven. Lucky. I felt a little special too."

Why the hell was he telling these things? Why was him opening so much? Raoul seemed to listen to him with real interest, peering at him without taking his eyes off. He didn't seem willing to interrupt him, so Guy kept talking.

"I ... I was very jealous around him. I felt I had many rivals and I didn't want to share Riki with anyone. I tried to protect him from others and from dangers. I was always afraid that he would decide to leave me, that he would fall in love with someone else. I was dying at the mere idea of losing him ... I was afraid he wouldn't love me seriously. That he had decided to be with me only for the friendship that bound us in Guardian. I felt ... I wasn't enough for him."

Damn, why was talking about such things with that blondie so beautiful? So reassuring? Raoul continued to watch him with those magnetic green eyes. "And what happened after Iason brought Riki to Eos?" Asked the blondie, moving a lock of golden hair behind his ear.

“Well, actually things hadn't been going so well for several months. One day Riki had returned from Midas different, detached, bored. He ... he hardly spoke to me anymore, he was on his own. He didn't want to do ..."

"Sex?" Raoul asked naturally

"Yup. He avoided me. And when we did it he wasn't involved and he left immediately afterwards. Then I later learned that he had met Iason that day."

"Oh yes" Raoul intervened with eyes shining with interest "I remember that day very well. Riki had been caught stealing wallets and had persuaded Iason to follow him to a shabby motel as a payment for not reporting him."

Raoul ran his tongue over his lips. That conversation was really interesting. “Tell me Guy, is it common in Ceres to offer sexual services in exchange for favors? Do you all do it?"

"Er ... yes, quite common. In Ceres we have no money, so we can use anything to repay. Also ... our body ... or so it was before the changes made thanks to Iason."

"And weren't you jealous that Riki offered sexual performances as payment for other ... services?"

"Yes and no ... that is, when sex was offered as payment there was no emotional involvement or lust. It was just a mechanical thing. We didn't want to do it but it was inevitable."

“So, Guy, for example, it made you jealous that Riki kissed another human by mutual agreement, but not that he offered a fellatio as a debt payment. Quite right?"

"Yes ... yes, it is so."

“It's an interesting behavior. And tell me, is it out of jealousy that you mutilated your ex lover and attacked my brother so extremely ?"

Guy gasped for a moment. That man, indeed that android, spoke of the atrocities he had carried out as if he was talking about what he had eaten for breakfast. The young man was surprised not to feel uncomfortable talking with him about it. "No I ... I had already given up on Riki. I didn't do it out of jealousy. I just couldn't bear that he was a pet. I ... hated all Tanagura's things and Elites."

"I understand" Raoul leaned closer to Guy's eyes. "I guess you have now changed your opinion about the Elites."

Guy started to sweat cold from that closeness "Yes ... yes of course. That is, Iason performs well with Riki now, and has done a lot for Ceres and you have helped us too …"

Guy felt Raoul's breath on his neck, and with panic he realized that his cock had suddenly become hard and hoped that Raoul would not have noticed. Luckily the blondie simply nodded and walked away. Then he pulled out a notepad and wrote down something. "Sorry, Guy, I have to take a moment away."

He left the table elegantly. Guy served himself a large glass of ice water and drank it in one breath. 'What the fuck is wrong with me? I'm burning!' He thought. The mongrel hadn't felt that way for many, many years.

***

On the other side of the table, Riki was observing the interactions between Raoul and Guy, intrigued, he could not hear what they were saying but they seemed very involved in some conversation. At one point he saw Raoul beckon him to follow. Then the blondie got up and headed for the study. Riki took leave with any excuse and followed the blondie into the room closing behind the door.

“What the fuck is happening, Raoul? You practically ran away from the table!"

"The data I'm collecting is bringing unexpected results." the blondie replied coldly.

"Uh that is? Tell me!"

“I have not seen any changes in the stiffness of my organ in the two hours of conversation with Katze. Similarly, in the 25 minutes with Guy, there was a conspicuous increase in the flow of blood to the lower veins and an increase in heart rate from 65 to 98. In addition to an increase in sweating and erectile extension."

"Ahem Ok" Riki was halfway lost. "So basically, you didn't feel anything with Katze while it got stiff with Guy?"

"Yes. I think we could say that. Which is paradoxical because the conversation with Katze has been decidedly more fulfilling and intellectually stimulating. And Katze is a much more elegant and scientifically attractive human than that mongrel.”

Riki scratched his head trying to focus on the thoughts. "Well Raoul, I suppose your interest in Katze is that of ... a friend. A person who mentally enriches you and with whom you find it pleasant to talk to. That fascinates you platonically. For whom you have a kind of non-sexual affection. While Guy is a potential ... other kind of affection!"

"Define - other kind of affection -"

"By Jupiter Raoul come on ... that you like him. That he turns you on sexually. That you would like to fuck him. And I'll tell you more: I've seen Guy's face before. He was about to cum in his pants!"

"So, in your opinion, did the mongrel have the same physiological responses to our interaction?"

"Oh yes Raoul. I'd be ready to bet on it."

"In this case I will take the human to Eos and have him registered as my pet."

"O shit ... no Raoul!! It doesn't work like that! Except that Guy appears in Jupiter's records as officially dead and responsible for the assassination of Iason ... but don't you learn anything from what happened between me and your brother? What you want from Guy is a relationship! Or at least see how it goes, you don't want to make him a pet!"

"And how are the rules of this 'relationship'"?

"Well it depends, there are no written rules. You should make him understand that you have feelings for him and see if he also feels the same for you. Sometimes there is a fasen previa which is called courtship which serves to seduce the other person if his feelings are not yet clear. There are those who prefer to start directly from sex. The bottom line is that a relationship is made up of two sentient beings who choose to be together. To share something. It's not a master/slave sex dyad."

Raoul was making the circuits of his brain work. "I understand. I think I have to reflect on this new information."

He returned to the lounge followed by Riki a few minutes later, said goodbye communicating he had business to deal with in Eos and left the apartment. A little later Guy also said goodbye claiming to be tired.

That night, when everyone was gone, in the intimacy of the bedroom, Iason rolled over Riki imprisoning him in his arms. “I see you were getting along with Raoul, pet. I have the impression that you are hiding something from me."

Riki, half crushed by the weight of his lover, began to emit some plaintive theatrical moan. "Whaat? ... ugh, don't always be suspicious. I am helping him with a… personal matter.”

“And what kind of result will bring this conspiracy? Positive or catastrophic?" Iason began to nibble on Riki's ear and torture the inside with the tip of his tongue.

"Uh ... Aah ... I ... I don't know. Both maybe." Riki put his hands around Iason's face and brought the blondie's forehead against his, staring him in the eyes. “Come on Iason. Don't force me to tell you. It's something for Raoul, you have nothing to do with it. There's nothing bad."

Iason drank from that look and kissed Riki gently between the eyes. “OK Riki, I won't force you. Just try not to get into trouble."

"Promised"

Iason lay down next to Riki embracing him with his body and soon they both fell asleep.


	21. Jupiter's punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon and Raoul are punished for their mistakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Ten days later.

The surprise and indignation were great in Tanagura when the first official act of Minosi Kan was to donate the entire territory of Herbay to the autonomous republic of Ceres. Everywhere in Amoi the rumor has spread that Ceres had deceived Jupiter and widened its borders. Gossip echoed on every corner of the streets of Midas and Tanagura and in the halls of Eos in the conversations of pets with other pets, furnitures with other furnitures and Elites with other Elites.

Gideon and Raoul were immediately summoned by Jupiter. In the highest dome of the tower the Artificial Entity materialized taking humanoid form. The two blondies prostrated themselves respectfully in front of their creator.

"My children" the reverberating metallic voice extended threateningly through the room "You know the reason for this convocation. Sector 9 has extended its territory, it is the biggest defeat of our kind in the last five centuries. Gideon Lagat, yours was the decision to sell the Herbay sector. You are primarily responsible. Raoul Am, your job was to advise and guide your brothers in their choices. You have failed in your duties. You disappointed me. You didn't prove yourself up to your predecessor, my favorite son would not have made such a serious error of assessment. If you have something to say in your defense, speak now."

Jupiter quenched its voice and a muffled white sound spread across the room. Gideon's expression was one of pure terror. In the eyes of Raoul the pain of having disappointed his creator.

“Supreme Jupiter, I want to take full responsibility for what happened. Please forgive Gideon, he has been ill-advised by me" said the biochemist.

“Negative Raoul. You can't relieve your brother of his mistakes. You will both be judged and your penalties chosen in relation to the seriousness of the mistakes made."

The white sound filled the top of the tower again. A blue light flickered irregularly. The two blondies did not move, waiting for the sentence of the Artificial Intelligence.

"Gideon Lagat. You have been found guilty of handing over a portion of Midas to the Ceres' rebels, thus allowing them to broaden their borders and gain power. You will be relieved of your duties. The title of Lord of Midas will henceforth be assigned to Ruphias Dean. Your mind will also be restored in 10 days from now and you will be reassigned to a new position. Jupiter's law has spoken."

The AI paused before issuing the second sentence to allow Gideon to process the new information. The blondie had lost every note of color in the face. His muscles shaken by a slight shudder. His gaze turned to the ground.

“Raoul Am. You have been found guilty of neglect and indolence in carrying out your duties. You will be relieved of the position of syndicate leader. The position will remain vacant for the time being. You will be able to maintain your role as primary of the clinic and chief biotechnologist. As punishment for your errors you will be marked with the scream of Jupiter for 7 days. You will then be given three days to restore your brain skills and proceed with Gideon's mind cleansing. The sentence will begin immediately. The law of Jupiter has spoken."

At that precise moment Raoul's body was seized with a strong spasm. His face twitched with pain. His mouth wide open in a silent cry. Raoul slumped to the ground and tried in vain to cover his ears with his hands to ward off the deafening sound that crushed his brain.

"Gideon Lagat. Accompany Raoul back to his quarters and leave him in charge of his furniture. Then retire pending the execution of your sentence."

Gideon answered in a trembling voice. "Yes, Creator." He approached Raoul and gently took him by the arm and helped him to get up. The biochemist grabbed his brother firmly, seeking relief from his agony. But nobody could give him the relief he wanted.

Raoul, with unstable and trembling steps and all the throbbing nerves of pain, forced himself to be guided by Gideon outside the dome of the tower of Jupiter.

***

In the underground shelter Katze, Iason and Riki were meeting around the large living room table. Suddenly Katze's communicator, the special one reserved for communications that were not to be encrypted by Jupiter, rang. The caller's monitor flashed the name 'Raoul'. Katze accepted the call.

His surprise was great when, instead of the blondie's face, he saw a hairless and well-groomed boy appearing, with short forest green hair and androgynous features. He wore the light pink uniform of Eos' furnitures.

\- Sir Katze. Please excuse my impudence. I am Benson, Lord Am's furniture. My master ... is ill. He returned in an altered state from a conference with Jupiter and I don't know what to do. I know that my master often comes to visit here and spends a lot of time with you. I thought you could help him. Right now I'm in front of your offices with Lord Am, but it's closed and I don't know how to open it. I found your name in my master's private communicator and thought about calling. -

Katze gave Iason a look of concern, then headed back to the holoprojector.

\- You did well to bring him Benson. Wait for me there, I'm coming. -

The merchant closed the communication and went straight to his offices. When he opened the door he found Benson holding Raoul by the arm. The blondie was pale. His pupils dilated. The blank and lost gaze. Tense and contracted muscles. The trembling body. Katze had seen that state in other Elites before and recognized Jupiter's scream.

"How long has Lord Am been in this condition?"

"Since yesterday morning, Sir Katze."

"Yesterday morning? He has been in this state for at least 30 hours and you are bringing him only now!"

The black market boss had the strong impulse to hit the furniture with a punch, but the young man's terrified and tearful gaze held his anger.

"I ... I'm sorry Sir Katze, Lord Lagat told me to take care of him and I tried to do it. I gave him some sedatives but they didn't work. I was unable to make him sleep or eat. Please Sir Katze help my Master!"

"What else has Lord Lagat told you, Benson?"

"He ... he told me that the effects of Jupiter's punishment would disappear after seven days."

"Seven days? Are you sure?" Katze paled. He had never heard of such a prolonged branding of Jupiter's scream. “All right Benson. I will take care of him. Go back to Eos and don't tell anyone that Raoul isn't in his quarters. Cover his absence."

“Of course Sir Katze. Thank you Sir Katze." The young furniture bowed, entrusted his Master to Katze and silently walked away on the aerocar. The merchant guided the blondie gently on the path that led to the refuge.

***

"What's wrong with Raoul?" Iason asked when he saw his ex-furniture come back in with his brother held by the hand.

“It is the scream of Jupiter. It was marked about thirty hours ago. Looks like he was sentenced to ... seven days."

Iason started. "Seven days? It's impossible!"

"This was the information provided to his furniture, Lord Mink."

Iason came over to check Raoul's physical condition. It was not good. His pulse had accelerated enormously. All the muscles of his body were in a state of tension. He was in a catatonic state with his pupils dilated and his eyes absent and did not respond to any type of auditory stimulus. With each attempt at contact he withdrew as if struck by an electric shock. If left alone for a few minutes he went to a corner of the wall and crouched, closing in on himself and covering his ears with his hands.

"What's going on? What did they do to Raoul?" At one point asked Riki, who had remained apart until then.

"It's the scream of Jupiter" explained Jason "It's one of the most serious penalties reserved for the Elites. It consists of an incessant, high-pitched and intense sound that pervades the brain, shorting its neurons and causing extreme pain and confusion.

It causes a tense, painful and throbbing state of the whole muscle structure and nervous hypersensitivity. In practice, every minimal external sensory input such as heat and cold, friction with clothes, contact with an object or another living being are perceived amplified. Furthermore, those affected by the scream cannot feel any sound other than the one rumbling inside their brain, nor can they interact in any way with the outside world.

It usually lasts a few hours. In severe cases it is continued for 24 or 36 hours. The brain structures of Elites affected by Jupiter's scream remain severely impaired and the longer the sentence, the more serious its long-term effects will be. A 7-day scream of Jupiter had never been heard of."

Iason spoke half a meter from Raoul, who remained in a fetal position against the corner of the wall with his face deformed by the strong internal pain and looking at a fixed point on the horizon. Slowly he took his hand and led him to his and Riki's room, where it would have been more peaceful. Then, with extreme delicacy, he freed him from his clothes, dimmed the lights leaving and regulated the temperature of the room so that it was equal to that of a blondie. He waited for his brother to curl up against the corner of the room again and went out, closing the door behind him.

Riki, Cal and Katze had stayed in the lounge looking at each other without saying a word. The situation was extremely serious and everyone felt severe helplessness.

"What can we do?" Riki asked when Iason returned to the lounge.

“In reality Riki there is no cure for Jupiter's scream. It is our own creator who chooses when to end it. There is a way to mitigate its effects, but it is a theoretical hypothesis that has so far never been put into practice. Also because in Tanagura it is forbidden to alleviate the penalties caused by a Jupiter sentence.

The Elites, generally, use exclusively the evolved and logical part of their brain, which corresponds to the artificially enhanced part, and those lobes are the ones that get hit by Jupiter's scream. The only way to muffle the sound would be to make Raoul's brain lobe that controls his primordial instincts, that is the primitive and wild organic part, take over, so as to bring the lobe that controls logic to the background. However, most Elites never use the instinctive part of their brain and it is in a lethargic state."

Riki thought carefully about Iason's explanation. Then he had an idea. An attempt. They had to try to save Raoul. "Guy" said "We have to bring Guy here!"

Iason screwed up his eyes perplexed. "Guy? Why? What does that mongrel have to do with my brother's punishment?"

"Raoul was sexually attracted to Guy" Riki replied without wasting time "And the attraction was ... mutual"

Iason took a few seconds to reflect. Eventually he ruled “Yes. It might work. Have him come immediately."

Without having to repeat it twice, Riki started running towards Guy's apartment. He had just returned from a meeting with some of the Ceres gang leaders and was greatly surprised when he saw his friend break into the house.

"Guy, there is no time to waste" the black-haired young man said to him, gasping for breath after his race "You must come to my house immediately. Raoul needs you."

Guy did as requested and followed Riki along the tunnel without however being able to understand how the powerful Tanagura’s blondie head of the syndicate might need him. When he entered the apartment, Iason and Riki explained the situation to him, trying to make it as simple and clear as possible.

Guy listened carefully with his eyes wide with amazement. "So, let me understand ... Jupiter screwed Raoul's brain and I should go into that room and try to awaken his primordial instincts? And how should I do it? And why me? Why not any one of you four?"

"Sex, Guy." Riki said bluntly “The only way to awaken Raoul's dormant instincts is through his sexual drives. And the only one who can do this it's you because he likes you, Guy, you turn him on sexually. And don't tell me you don't feel the same. The other evening at dinner you were seen a mile away."

"Oh shit ... and what am I supposed to do for? Fuck him? Suck? Be fucked? Explain!"

"We don't know, Guy," Iason said. "There is no precedent. You will have to find the way. Please help my brother."

Guy put a hand on his head and took a deep breath. He could not deny it to Iason. "Okay" he finally said. "I'll try. Is there any lubricant in that room?"

"Here" Riki handed him the bottle he had already prepared for him while Guy was talking to Iason. Taking courage, the mongrel entered.


	22. Melt the ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guy tries to relieve Raoul's pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

As soon as he entered, Guy saw Raoul across the room: he was sitting on the ground and motionless, except for a few shivers every now and then. He wasn't wearing clothes and was looking straight ahead, but he didn't seem to notice him. Or at least he had no reaction.

Guy first decided to undress himself and slowly removed all the clothes he wore leaving them folded on a chair. Then he approached Raoul and was struck by his expression: his face seemed twisted in a grimace of pain. He remembered the face of the blondie with whom he had so openly confided less than two weeks before and felt a great desire to relieve him of that suffering.

He reached out to stroke his cheek but the other jerked back. He then decided to avoid touching him with his fingers for the moment and almost without thinking he knelt in front of him taking himself to the same level. He approached and kissed Raoul's lips, a slow and gentle kiss.

The blondie had a small jolt at first but didn't move.

Guy first kissed him chastely, then slightly opened his mouth and tasted it by sucking his upper lip first and lower lip then. He gently licked the outline of his mouth and with the tip of his tongue he tasted the teeth, the palate and the inside of his cheeks.

The blondie did not respond to the kiss but seemed to relax slightly, his dilated eyes seemed less tense. Guy came closer until his body touched Raoul's … the blondie gave off intense heat. When he saw that he wasn't pulling back, he hugged him gently with his only arm.

He felt Raoul's heart beating at an uncontrolled speed, but the rhythm of breathing seemed to slow down a bit. He took his hand inviting him to get up and guided him to the bed making him lie down. Guy took a few seconds to observe Raoul's naked lying body.

The blondie was divine, a symphony of perfectly proportioned limbs and muscles. Thin but not too much. His pale pink skin was free of any imperfections. Too bad only for the involuntary tremor of those tense muscles and the sternum that rose and fell too quickly due to the excited breathing.

Seeing his imposing and perfect relaxed penis made Guy slightly excited.

The young man lay down on the blondie, crushing him with his body: he wanted to calm him.

The sensation of feeling that warm skin on his one and their members in contact was intoxicating. Raoul's sweet musky smell awakened Guy's weakness destroying all his defense shields.

Guy hadn't cried. Not from the loss of Riki, not from the atrocities of Dana Burn. Yet now, lulled by the magical infatuation of that powerful being reduced to a state of rupture and weakness, he let himself go and the tears fell from Guy's eyes on Raoul's face and hair accompanied by suffocated sobs.

He kissed him deeply again, a kiss that flavored of salt, then started to move rubbing himself back and forth. It seemed to him that the blondie's penis was taking shape.

He ran his fingers across his face again and combed the soft golden locks. The other did not withdraw, it was a good sign. He traced a trail of delicate kisses on Raoul's body, that started from his face down to his chest and belly.

When he got to the groin, he positioned himself between his legs to better observe the face of the blondie, gently picked up that semi-hard member, took the tip between his lips and started to suck it.

Raoul's facial muscles seemed to relax a little, that grimace of pain that twisted his mouth softened taking regular contours.

Guy continued his work with a little more speed. The rod had now become completely hard and erect. He licked the glans in circular movements, uncovered the crown and penetrated it with his mouth. Then he filled himself with saliva, opened his throat and took him in his mouth until the limit allowed by his cavity, which was about three quarters of the length.

The blondie had opened his lips. His eyes had closed. The muscle shudder that involved the whole body until a few minutes before had stopped.

Guy started to fuck him with his mouth, helping himself with his hand to reach the full length.

Raoul had started to emit very slight moans of appreciation. His eyes still closed, his fingers brushing the sheets. He reached his nirvana quickly: he arched his body shooting his seed into Guy's warm mouth. Raoul's first orgasm.

The blondie suddenly opened his eyes, frightened, as if waking up from a nightmare. He looked around and his gaze was finally conscious. Guy joined him by taking his face in his hands.

"What happens?" Raoul stared at the human in front of him. "G ... Guy? Aaaahaah” The pain seemed to pervade him suddenly.

The young man hurried to kiss him again and Raoul, who was about to fall back into catatonia, regained lucidity.

"Ssssh" the man whispered after leaving those lips "Don't talk Bombon. Don't think. Just listen. Just focus on what I'm doing to you."

Guy started kissing every point on his face, then he slowly teased the inside of his ear with the tip of his tongue and gently kissed his neck.

Raoul, prey to the chills of those new sensations and feeling the effects of almost two days of agony in which he had not slept or eaten, turned off his circuits and fell asleep. His breathing was regular. Eyes closed and relaxed. His body soft and tension-free.

Guy slipped out of bed like a ghost and covered him with a sheet. Silently he dressed and left the room.

***

In the lounge Iason and Riki waited sitting on the sofa. Katze had to go back to work but asked to be constantly updated on Raoul's condition. As soon as they saw Guy, Riki stood up and went to meet him. "Then? It worked?"

"Yes he ... is sleeping. I think he feels no pain."

The blondie and his mongrel breathed in relief. Iason took the word “Guy are you aware that Raoul will need your help until the end of Jupiter's marking? We must keep his organic brain dominant and the artificial brain latent. If the logical lobe were to take over again, he would return to agony."

"Yes I ... I understood it" Guy replied sitting on the chair to get off some tension "For how long ...?"

“Another five and a half days. Do you think you can do it?"

Guy, exhausted for the emotional turmoil, had no choice.

"Yes ... I can do it,” he said “just give me something to eat and a few hours to regain strength”

Riki went to the kitchen to tell Cal to prepare something and after Guy had refreshed he lead him to the guest room to rest. Returning to the living room he turned to the blondie “Hey Iason we are running out of rooms. Raoul is in ours, we put Guy in this other and the third is Cal's. Where do we go to sleep? And how do we change our clothes? All our things are in the closet in the bedroom."

"Mmmm we have an inflatable mattress, we can put it in the library. And I can ask Cal to go buy us new clothes tomorrow morning. What do you say?"

"That's fine, we'll pretend we're camping!" The young man climbed onto his blondie on the sofa hugging him.

Iason was strong and always kept his facade of ice, but Riki knew that this whole situation was putting him to an hard test. Raoul had been punished for his contribution to Ceres' reconstruction plan, this was clear to everyone. The weight of responsibility for the suffering of his closest friend and brother must have been intolerable for Iason. But Riki's blondie never cried, never let off steam, showed no anxiety or impatience. The mongrel could do nothing but embrace him tightly and stand beside him to comfort that unspoken sadness.


	23. The mongrel's pet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guy continues to take care of Raoul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

"Hey bombon. Say nothing.

Don't ask questions.

It doesn't matter where you are.

It doesn't matter what's going on.

It doesn't matter why it happens.

Nothing matters.

The only thing that matters is what I'm doing to you.

Can you feel it? Do you like?

If you like it, let me hear it. Let your voice be heard."

***

When Raoul woke up from his sleep the next morning, Guy was already sitting next to him. Naked and reloaded. The blondie could not avoid immediately activating his intellect, it was the fault of centuries of rationality training. He sat on the bed, looked around and started to analyze the situation. And inevitably the lethal scream that tore him from within returned.

Guy decided to proceed more drastically and less gently this time. With his fingers sprinkled with lubricant he slung between his legs and inserted them into the anal cavity. Raoul made a small cry of surprise and pain, but the hammering in his brain immediately dissipated.

The mongrel took his time, without haste, widening the sphincter with his fingers and playing with the inside. He groped the blondie's prostate enjoying his small moans and grimaces on his face caused, this time, by pleasure and not by pain. Moans that increased when Guy, without removing his fingers from the internal heat, took his testicles in his mouth sucking them.

When it seemed enough, he removed his fingers, raised Raoul's pelvis and penetrated him with his well-lubricated member.

***

"Come on blondie let me feel your pleasure" he whispered in his ear as he fucked him slowly and deeply.

Raoul, pervaded by pleasure and new sensations, forgot everything: he was no longer an Elite among the Elites nor the chief biochemist of Eos. No. He was just a sexaroid. A newly born, memoryless android. A creature without reason controlled only by his drives.

Guy didn't want him to cum, the goal was to take time. The slow and constant penetration allowed the blondie to approach the apex without ever reaching his release.

That state of dissatisfaction caused by being on the edge of pleasure and wanting liberation without having the possibility of reaching it was what he needed to keep Raoul's instinctive and animal side on for as long as possible. It was torture for both, but necessary.

Guy played with Raoul. Every now and then he came out of him and that emptiness made the blondie angry and unstable. He teased his nipples, stimulated his member with slow licking, nibbled his lips and earlobes. And when Raoul was about to ejaculate Guy stopped. He waited a few minutes for the blondie to slow his pulse down and then started toying with him.

It was a sadistic game, but he couldn't allow him to cum and turn into a rational being again. To escape the pain caused by Jupiter, Raoul had to become a caged beast. A being of pure instinct frustrated by the denied need to release his pleasure.

Raoul had become Guy's pet.

Hours and hours passed. In the midst of their sexual game the mongrel found a way to feed the blondie: he blindfolded his eyes and brought to his lips pieces of fresh fruit, nuts, raisins, pieces of cheese.

The lack of sight, not knowing what was put in his mouth, and the state of helplessness and vulnerability combined with the imminent need for unsatisfied release, had created the ideal conditions to resolve the need to feed him without awakening his rational mind. The alternative would have been a forced feeding with tube, but this would have limited his movements and lowered his level of libido.

Raoul writhed and cried asking for release. He shouted and pleaded. He moaned and externalized his feelings of both pleasure and pain. He was a sweaty tangle when evening approached. His forces were completely exhausted. His hard, swollen member throbbed with blue veins.

Guy took it in his mouth and with a few targeted movements granted him the longed expected release. The Blondie exploded his seed in numerous cramps, shouting and moaning his liberation. Eventually Guy lay on top of him as if to reassure and embraced him with his body waiting for him to fall asleep.

Like the night before, Guy got dressed and left the room as quietly as possible. Exhausted he sat at the table where Cal served him something to eat. He did not speak to anyone, nor did Riki or Iason try to ask him anything, however he would not have had the strength to answer. His batteries had run out at the exact moment of Raoul's release.

After dinner, he went directly to the guest’s room. So ends the second day.

***

The days that followed were very similar, with the difference that Raoul's dormant internal beast was learning and becoming aware of itself. He began to rebel against Guy and learned that he could bring himself to release. Iason had to intervene, chaining his brother to the bed with restrains that he would not have been able to break.

So the third, fourth and fifth days passed.

On the morning of the sixth, Guy met with Iason and Riki in the lounge. They knew the marking would end that morning but they didn't know what time Jupiter would give him liberation. They decided to start like every other day, bringing him to the excitement as soon as he wakes up to avoid his rational lobe from taking control. Then in mid-morning Guy would give him relief and they would wait. By the time his artificial brain had awakened they would have known if Jupiter's scream was still present or not.

So, as soon as Raoul woke up, Guy started kissing him and pinching his nipples with his fingers causing chills all over his body. "Good morning bombon," he said as he worked his member with his lips bringing it to an erection “I think this is our last day together. Then you probably don't want to see me anymore. Or worse …"

Guy brought his face in front of that of the blondie and watched him carefully caressing him, thinking that it might have been the last time. He loved his thin and aristocratic profile, those green and deep eyes so full of fire when in the grip of his animal instincts. Those golden, long and silky hair. That elegant and soft mouth.

“I decided to give you a farewell gift. You will find out soon." The mongrel whispered into the Blondie's ear making it arch. Then he kissed him deeply exploring his mouth with his tongue. When he broke away from him, he took an anal dilator from the bedside table, basically a nice big dildo. He lubricated it carefully, and then calmly and moaning a little with pain and discomfort, used it to penetrate himself. When the dildo was fully inserted, he took a couple of minutes to get used to that foreign body that filled him and went back to dealing with Raoul.

"Here is love, so I will be ready for you" He said to him before continuing with his work. He penetrated the blondie's rectum with his tongue preparing the entrance, then spread it slightly with his oiled fingers and began to massage his prostate. Finally he penetrated him with his own dick, slowly fucking him in the way that kept the Blondie on the edge, making him crazy.

Raoul growled and pulled his restrains.

Guy occasionally stopped his movement to kiss and caress him, to whisper comforting words. Then he started to stimulate him again in that insufficient and sadistic way.

When it was almost 11 o'clock in the morning, that was the time set to awaken Raoul’s rational lobe, Guy removed the dildo from his own body. He took the bottle of lubricant, spread a good amount on the blondie's hard, erect member and finally he crouched over him guiding the glans towards his entrance and slowly impaled himself, breathing and resisting the pain, until he had it all inside him.

Without losing sight of his deep emerald eyes, he began to move in both directions, faster and faster until the blondie groaned loudly at his release.

Guy took his own penis with the hand and with a few targeted movements reached his Nirvana, shouting his liberation and spreading the seed on the chest of his lover.

The young man had never ejaculated in the six days he had taken care of the Blondie. His priority had always been Raoul and he had never sought his pleasure. He had stayed in order not to lose lucidity.

Guy slipped out of the softened member, got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He cleaned himself and took a towel and wet it with warm water, wringing it well. Then with that he carefully cleaned Raoul's body, still prey to postcoital spasms, from sperm and sweat. Then he covered him with the sheet, dressed quickly and sat on the chair next to the bed waiting for his return to rationality.

A couple of minutes later Raoul looked around in confusion and began to analyze the situation.

He was lying on a bed in a room that wasn't his one. The lights were dim and … his hands were chained to the sides of the bed!! His head and body were slightly sore and he felt a pleasant warmth throughout the genital area. He was naked, covered only by a sheet. There was someone sitting next to him. It took a couple of minutes to recognize him "Guy?" he finally said.

"Hi Raoul" replied the mongrel.

"Why am I chained like a prisoner?" asked the blondie angrily straining on the handcuffs .

"I ... I'm sorry. It was necessary. I'm going to call Iason. He will explain you everything." Holding back the urge to kiss that creature he had loved for six days over and over again, Guy headed for the door.

"Raoul is fine" he said to Riki, Iason and Katze waiting outside the room “He wants explanations. I'm going back to my house."

Silently and holding back tears for what had lost, Guy took his leave and left the apartment.

***

Iason entered the room where Raoul was.

"Iason! You will explain this outrage to me!!" The blondie snapped the chains tinkling.

"Yes my brother, all in due time." He inserted the key and snapped the padlocks of the restrains freeing Raoul's arms. The blondie was horrified at the sight of the purple marks on his wrists, an unequivocal sign that he had been forced to stay for several days and had struggled to free himself.

"What do you remember, Raoul?" Asked Iason.

The biochemist tried to put his oddly confused thoughts in order. Then it all came back. Jupiter. The sentence.

"Jupiter!" he simply said.

"Yes," answered Iason "Jupiter punished you for helping me get Herbay. It marked you with the scream."

"But ... it isn't possible," said Raoul finally acquiring awareness of his state "Jupiter sentenced me to 7 days. I should be ... in a vegetative state. Why do I still maintain my cognitive functions?"

“We have awakened your organic brain and made the rational one latent. It was the only way to stop the marking from tearing your circuits apart.”

"It's impossible. No Elite has ever awakened his organic lobe!"

“Actually yes Raoul, I did it. Although in my case it was a gradual process that took years and I never had to turn off my rational lobe. The two sides have cooperated and are still both active. With you we had to proceed drastically making you a being of pure instinct and drive."

Raoul tried to remember. All that had happened from the moment of the sentence on was a great fog.

"Guy" he finally said "I remember an unimaginable pain. Then the pain dissolved and Guy appeared."

“Correct Raoul. Guy guided you towards the awakening of your primordial instincts and kept you there. Every day, all the time. Until the end of Jupiter's sentence."

Raoul could not believe what he was listening to. It was surreal.

“What will happen to me now, Iason? What has changed in me?"

“Once awakened, the organic brain cannot be dozed off again. Your instinctive and rational sides will both remain active and conscious in you. You will learn to manage them. In a short time the memory of what you have experienced during these 7 days will also return. You may not like the treatment you have been given, but it was the only way to stop your reasoning from returning."

"Where's Guy?" Raoul asked.

"He is gone. I think he was afraid of becoming a victim of your anger the moment memories come back."

"And ... Katze?"

"He's out here. He was worried about you. We all were. I'm sorry Raoul, because of me you had to suffer again.” The look in Iason's eyes was of sincere repentance.

Raoul shook his head.

"No Iason I ... I made my choices." Then he remembered: "Gideon!" he shouted, “He was sentenced to a mind cleaning! I have to reset his brain in three days!"

Iason frowned with a flash of determination.

"We will not allow it," he said finally "we will invent something. Now reassemble yourself Raoul, you will find your clothes in the bathroom. We will wait for you in the lounge. Do you want Cal's assistance?"

"It won't be necessary."

"Very well. Welcome back my brother." Iason with a smile and a nod left the room.


	24. Escape plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plan to save Gideon. In this chapter we'll get to know two new characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

When Raoul returned to his penthouse on the top floor of the Eos Tower that afternoon, he found Benson welcoming him. The young furniture had been very upset for his Master, not daring to contact Katze for news, and was extremely relieved to see him return to good health.

"Welcome back Master" he only said. As a furniture he was not allowed to express his feelings. He took Raoul's overcoat and walked away discreetly.

"Benson!" The blondie detained him.

"Tell me, Master."

“I know it was you who led me to Katze's. You did a good job."

"Thank you Master." It was the first time he had received a compliment.

"Now update me on what happened during my absence."

"Yes Master"

Benson recounted how Jupiter's delegates had come twice to ask about Raoul's health and how he replied that his Master was ailing but stable and unable to receive visitors. He told how he had canceled or moved all his appointments and made a note of all the calls. Finally he said that, that very morning, he had received a communication from Jupiter itself in which lord Am was summoned to Jupiter's tower as soon as possible

"Master, the creator also communicated that, if within three days you have not been able to stand on your own feet , I would have to find a way to ... carry you."

“All right Benson. Make sure nobody comes to bother me today. Cook a light dinner."

"It will be done, Master." The young boy bowed and headed for the kitchen.

Raoul entered his quarters, lay down on the bed and turned off the lights. He tried to shape his clouded memories. A recurring image. A mongrel with long brown hair gathered in a ponytail that whispered a word in his ear: bombon.

Raoul felt the whole groin area tingle . His organ was having an erectile physiological response. He had an instinct to touch himself but stopped immediately. He couldn't. It was forbidden. In his thoughts took shape the image of Guy moving and penetrating him anally.

The tingling became stronger.

Another image: Guy kneeling between his legs who took his organ in his hot mouth while looking at him with ravenous brown eyes. Raoul opened his trousers and started to stimulate himself with his hand.

An irreverent voice: 'Hey bombon. Say nothing. Don't ask questions. It doesn't matter where you are. It doesn't matter what's going on. It doesn't matter why it happens. Nothing matters. The only thing that matters is what I'm doing to you. Can you feel it? Do you like? If you like, let me hear it. Let your voice be heard.' Guy was saying these things to him as he entered and exited his body.

Raoul suddenly cum shooting up his load on his suit. He looked in shock at his hand smeared with white viscous substance.

***

Meanwhile, in Ceres, a brown-haired mongrel was imagining large, fiery emerald eyes, diaphanous skin and long golden hair. He had been drinking his fifth bottle of Stout but still could not tarnish those thoughts.

As the senses darkened and the mind fell into Morpheus' arms, a single word came out of those lips: "Raoul"

***

The next morning Raoul assigned Benson to deliver a package to Lord Lagat. The young man took the commission and climbed into Eos' elevator which would take him closer to Gideon's apartment. When he arrived the sliding door opened and he found himself in front of a tall boy with medium long light blue hair and pearl gray eyes. Benson had already seen him in the common rooms reserved for type-A furnitures. He was Creek, Lord Lagat's furniture.

"Good morning. How can I help you?" Creek asked politely.

"I have a delivery for Lord Lagat from my Master, Lord Am."

"Give it to me, I'll get it right away."

The two furnitures greeted each other with a nod and Creek entered the house.

Lord Lagat had been confined to his apartment since the time of the sentence, however he had been relieved of his duties and had no work to do and throughout Eos he had become the target of gossip about how Jupiter had taken away from him the title of Lord of Midas to be responsible of the loss of Herbay, so he really had no reason to show up in the corridors and recreation rooms of the tower.

He tried not to think about what would happen in two days. He hadn't said anything to his furniture or to his pet. He had no reason to worry them, his fate was so marked. He didn't know if Jupiter would reassign him to the same house once his mind was cleaned, or if he could keep Creek and Aylin or if the new Gideon wanted to keep them or treated them well.

Aylin was a sweet 17-year-old creature. She had lived with Gideon since the age of 14 and, despite Eos' habits of changing pets every year, he had no intention of getting rid of her.

She came from the academy, like most pets who lived in Eos. She had long purple hair which Creek usually styled her into two braids. White skin, almost luminescent, and dark purple-streaked eyes. She was petite and not overly thin, unlike Creek which was threadlike and taller than the average human Gideon had known, his stature almost approached that of an Elite. She had a naive and cheeky character, so different from the egotistical and presumptuous pets that frequented the Eos salons.

Lord Lagat had become jealous of the girl and made her exhibit only the bare essentials imposed by Orphe at pet parties.

His furniture was also very singular. He had initially chosen him because of the peculiarity of the color of his hair, his thin and slightly inclined eyes, and his slightly pointed ears. Gideon was a lover of exotic beauty and extravagance. He was considered the most eccentric of the Blondies and, except when he was forced to wear formal or ceremonial clothes, he loved to wear bright colors.

But then he had come to appreciate Creek also for his somewhat rebellious, playful and boyish ways. He distinguished himself from other furnitures so formal and attentive to the label.

"Master Gideon" Creek entered the hall with a package in his hand. "Lord Am's furniture gave me this for you."

“Thanks Creek. Go ahead. Prepare a bath for Aylin, she will wake up at any moment."

"Yes Master." Creek smiled and went to the young pet's room.

Gideon, unlike the other Elites, had gotten into the habit of politely turning to his furniture. He asked but did not order. He saw nothing wrong with adding a 'thank you' or 'please' to his requests. He liked that the atmosphere inside his house was relaxed and pleasant for everyone who lived there.

He wonder if he would remain of the same opinion after cleaning his mind ... He shook his head trying to push that thought away.

Raoul … He had been quite worried about the fate of his brother, given the state in which Jupiter had reduced him. He was reassured to note that, if nothing else, he was still lucid enough to send him a warrant.

He broke the paper surrounding the box. Inside there was a portable communicator and a ticket that said 'Call the only number saved on the device. Do it in private. Be discreet. Raoul.'

Gideon entered his study by locking the door and pushing the call button. The holoprojection of a charming man with red hair appeared, with a showy scar on the left side of his face partially covered by a long fringe. It seemed like a familiat face but at the moment Gideon could not remember where he had already seen him.

\- Lord Lagat? -

\- It’s me. - answered the blondie.

\- I'm contacting you from my Master, Minosi Kan. Mr. Kan has learned of your quarrel with Jupiter and is available to offer you refuge and protection for as long as necessary. -

Gideon frowned suspiciously.

\- And why on Amoi would Mr. Kan want to do this for me? And with whom do I have the pleasure of talking? -

\- I'm Katze, - The man on the screen answered - my Master feels indebted to be the cause of your problems with Jupiter and he would also like to thank you for agreeing to conclude the sale. -

Gideon took a couple of minutes to think. He did not trust this eccentric billionaire who had convinced the council to deceive the territory of Herbay to Ceres. On the other hand, he didn't have much alternative. In two days he would have been reset and there would be nothing left of him except an empty shell. He had nothing to lose.

\- Okay, Katze, I accept your Master's offer. What should I do? -

\- Get to the Eos garage today at 6 PM. Sector H, exit 13. Use the stairs, avoid elevators and crowded routes. Try not to get noticed. Take a few things with you: only a small bag with essential personal effects, we will provide the rest. Leave every electronic device at home, bring only this communicator. A black car with darkened windows will pick you up. The guy driving is called Sid. Is it all clear, Lord Lagat? -

\- All clear Katze. One thing: I will bring two humans with me, I can't leave them. -

\- It'll be fine, Lord Lagat. -

Katze ended the communication.

Gideon went back to the living room and immediately called his furniture.

"Creek I need to talk to you and Aylin, tell her to come right away!"

A few minutes later the sleepy girl appeared, with her hair tousled and rubbing her eyes. She wore her pastel yellow bed robe. "Did you want to see me master Gideon?" She asked with a yawn and watery eyes from sleep.

“Yes Aylin approached. You too Creek. I have to talk to you about a very serious matter."

The girl climbed the blondie's legs while the young man sat down nearby. They both silently watched their Master, curious as to what he was suddenly to tell them that was so important.

“Creek, Aylin, I must confess to you something that I have kept hidden from you so far. Have you heard about the Herbay scandal?"

"Yes Master Gideon," The girl answered candidly “some pets in the salon said that Ceres' mongrels took possession of a part of Midas called Herbay because of your mistake. I got mad at them. I said they are liars and they don't have to talk about you like this."

“You are very dear Aylin, but in reality those pets have told the truth, and Jupiter got very angry with me for this reason."

Creek jumped to his feet worried “Master Gideon, did Jupiter hurt you? Was it last week? You were ... so pale! " He asked apprehensively.

“No Creek, Jupiter didn't hurt me. But it wants to do it. It wants my mind to be reset. I have to go to the clinic the day after tomorrow to start the cleaning procedure."

Aylin and Creek exchanged a terrified look. The young pet began to sob. “Gideon, please don't let them do it! There must be a way to avoid it!"

"Don't cry honey." Gideon rested Aylin's head on his chest and stroked her with his hand.

“Actually, the reason why I'm telling you all this is not to make you worry. Someone offered me an alternative. I will leave Eos today and hide from Jupiter. I would like you to come with me if this is your wish. But I will be sincere to you: I don't know anything about our destination. We may find ourselves in difficult situations."

The two charming humans exchanged a knowing look.

"Sure Master," Creek asserted without hesitation “we will go with you. We will help you hide from Jupiter. We won't let it hurt you!"

"I knew I could count on you."

Gideon kissed Aylin's hair and smiled at Creek making him understand his appreciation.

“Creek, prepare a bag with the indispensable for all of us. Nothing electronic, not even a watch or a calculator. You will wear your Eos uniform and prepare Aylin with pet clothes but bring a change of comfortable and inconspicuous clothes for you. We will change as soon as we are far from prying eyes. Today at 5:30 PM we will leave the apartment."

***

Meanwhile, in a place between Ceres and Midas, a few meters below the Amoian surface, another communicator with waves invisible to Jupiter rang.

\- Iason, Lord Lagat accepted the offer. -

\- Excellent, Katze. Let's start the plan. Make sure everything is ready in New Ceres. -

Amoi's former first blondie turned off the communicator and headed for the room. The lithe mongrel with olive skin still slept. He was in the center of the bed with the sheet twisted between his legs, his mouth half closed and his body in a disordered position. The untidy black tufts glistened against the white silk fabric.

Iason removed the prosthesis (he didn't like wearing it in bed), climbed over the young man and woke him up with a kiss. Riki narrowed his eyes and pouted his mouth. "Mmnn what time is it?" He said plaintively.

"10 am" answered the blondie before printing a second kiss on his lips "Gideon accepted" He whispered softly into his ear.

"Haaawn. I'm happy. So ... let's start with the third phase!"

"Soon love. Soon."


	25. New Ceres

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon escapes from Tanagura. Raoul remembers further details.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

At 5:30 PM, as scheduled, Gideon left the apartment with Aylin and Creek in tow.

To keep up appearances they had dressed as if it were a normal way out of a Master accompanied by his pet. Gideon wore an elegant blue tunic and trousers suit with a fuchsia belt and cape and carried Aylin on a leash. The girl wore high red leather boots with stiletto heels and a top with shiny miniskirts. Creek followed them not far away with the light pink uniform of type-A Eos' furnitures.

They went down the stairs. Along the way they met some furnitures and pets but no one noticed them. On the second floor, however, they were intercepted by Aisha who did'nt miss the opportunity to stop them.

"Gideon!" he called him.

"Aisha ..." The Blondie nodded.

“You haven't shown yourself around for a while. I suppose your last meeting with Jupiter has something to do with it."

“Supposed well, Aisha, but as you can see I'm going to recover my usual habits. I will take Aylin to do some shopping."

"I see. Be careful Gideon, don't challenge Jupiter. It was very magnanimous in only relieving yourself of your duties. You could have faced worse penalties."

Gideon nodded. He was surprised that the impending mental cleansing had not been made public.

“I think you are right, Aisha, I will follow your advice. Now, if you want to excuse me, I'll proceed with our walk."

Aisha elegantly left and the three fugitives continued their descent.

The sector H of the garage was located three levels below the ground, it was 5:55 pm when they reached exit 13. Gideon had to admit that the meeting place had been very well thought of: that exit was in fact the only one not supervised by cameras in all the basements.

At 6 pm, the black car described by Katze arrived. The driver's door opened and a tall muscular guy, with fair skin and pearl-gray hair and eyes, came out. He was wearing a tight tank top and a pair of jeans and was smiling in a relaxed way.

"Hi! You are the Blondie who has to run away from Eos, right? Pleasure! I'm Sid!" Said the guy raising a hand in greeting.

Gideon replied with an assent. "Correct. My name is Gideon and our instructions are to get in your car. These are my pet Aylin and my furniture Creek.”

At the sight of Aylin, Sid had a reaction of extreme and not hidden surprise.

"Ooooh but ... are you a girl? I've never seen one so close!”

Sid looked her up and down and Aylin smiled back. She had been trained to be observed.

"Master do you want me to change my clothes now?", the girl asked innocently, addressing the Blondie.

"Yes dear, you will travel more comfortably, but do it quickly. Creek will help you."

Gideon removed the collar and chain and in less than two minutes the girl, assisted by the furniture, removed her pet clothes and put on trousers, a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of sneakers.

Sid remained literally open-mouthed. It was the first time he had seen a girl and she had undressed in front of him and two other men (an android and an eunuch, to be more precise) without the slightest hint of shame.

The mongrel had been petrified at that sight and Gideon cleared his throat loudly making him wince.

"Uh? Aaaah ... yes! Climb up!!"

Gideon sat in the front and the furniture and the pet in the back seat.

Sid inserted the key, rose from the ground and immediately set off passing through the underground tunnel that led to the exit of Eos. Once he reached the exit, he braked suddenly and inserted a magnetic card. The light turned green and the door opened.

"Hold fast!", Sid warned before lefting immediately at very high speed.

In the back seat Aylin, visibly disturbed, had hidden her head in the arms of Creek who was in turn sweating cold and stiff like a plaster statue, even if he tried to remain impassive. Gideon, however, did not seem in the least impressed by the high speed.

"How did you get a free-exit-from-Eos magnetic card?" The Blondie asked when they had left the tower for a few minutes.

“It was owned by a furniture that was disposed of this morning. The security records are updated every day at 8pm, so his magnetic card is still active."

"I understand. Very ingenious. I noticed that you have no identification chip implanted in your ear, are you a mongrel?"

"Yes, I'm from Ceres." Sid feels perfectly at ease, not at all intimidated by the imposing Blondie, and answered the questions that were asked to him naturally.

"And you work for Minosi Kan, right?"

Sid smiled "Yes, we can say so."

“And can I ask where are you taking us? Or is it confidential information?"

“I don't see why not, anyway you would find out in a few minutes. We are headed to New Ceres!"

"New Ceres? And where is this place?"

“I think you know it as Herbay. You wouldn't believe how far we went with the construction works in just 25 days!"

"25 days? Herbay territory was donated to Ceres only 10 days ago!"

"Works began on the day of the signing of the sales contract."

"I understand. It was a deception organized from the beginning ... and when will I be able to meet your Master?"

“I have no Master, Mr. Blondie, however if what you want to know is when you will see Mr. Kan, I can't give you a precise date, but I guess soon."

Sid stopped the car in front of a large metal wall with a heavy gate. He rolled down the window and called to the young man who was on watch. "Hey Phil!"

"Sid it's you! Jupiter damn it, I was going to push the alarm button. Who are you taking with you?"

“Special guests of Katze. Everything under control, don't worry."

"Ok. I’ll open for you."

Phil said something on his wrist communicator and the large, massive door began to open. As soon as they had passed the other side the gate closed behind them.

"By Jupiter, what did you do to Herbay?" Gideon asked suddenly without hiding some irritation.

“Just some protection, Blondie. The borders have been fortified with a metal wall. We are also reinforcing the walls of Ceres from the inside. Ironic isn't it? Jupiter had raised those walls to isolate us and we are using them to protect us from it. By the way: for your peace of mind it's good that you know that we have removed every receiver, cable or antenna from Herbay. Jupiter's satellite has no way of seeing beyond these walls."

"I understand. I see you are serious."

"Oh yes, Mr. Blondie." The mongrel replied showing some satisfaction "We are damned serious!"

About 10 minutes after passing the walls they stopped in front of what looked like a cottage. Sid got out of the car and opened the doors to let the passengers get out. An other guy with shoulder-length reddish hair, an exaggerated pair of glasses and a bulky chain necklace came out of the building. "Sid, did you have any problems coming?"

"Naaah. Everything according to plan. The magnetic card Katze provided me worked perfectly. These are Gideon, Aylin and Creek."

Then he added, turning to the Tanagurians, “This is Luke, he has prepared the house for your arrival. We will try to help you settle down a little."

They entered the house. It seemed of recent construction judging by the smell of paint still persistent, the shine of the floor and the absence of wear on the fixtures.

Luke took Sid aside. "Katze didn't tell me there was a girl!" He whispered to him in a low voice.

"Yes! Did you see how cute she is? You had to see her before! She wore a supersexy suit full of glitter and boots with a very high heel. Can you think that before getting into the car she undressed completely in front of me to change her clothes? I was about to cum in my underwear!"

"Whaaaat? I can’t believe it! I knew I should have asked to drive the car!", Luke exclaimed and Sid replied with a friendly punch on his back.

They returned to pay attention to their guests. Aylin and Creek remained standing in the corner of the room while Gideon had comfortably sat cross-legged in a chair and watched the interactions between the two mongrels (and clearly heard their conversation thanks to his improved hearing).

"Well. If you have finished appreciating my pet, could we know what is being done now? Is this the place where we will live?", said the Blondie.

Sid suddenly turned red and Aylin hid an amused smile with her hand.

"Ahem ... yes correct, you will live here", Luke replied a little embarrassed "We have prepared three bedrooms. You'll find clothes of various sizes both for sleeping and for going out. In the bathrooms there are clean towels and everything you need for personal care. In the kitchen you'll find food both in the refrigerator and in the pantry. We will now leave you alone, we'll be back in the morning. I advise you not to leave the house for the moment" he paused briefly, then added "Ah ... I'm sorry but we didn't know there was going to be a girl. They are not very common in Ceres. You will find only men's clothes."

The girl spoke for the first time, prior looking to her Master for permission and waiting for his assent. "It doesn't matter, Mr. Luke," she said smiling "I like to wear men's clothes, they are comfortable! And thank you Mr. Sid for the drive, it was exciting! I had never been in a vehicle so fast. At first I was a little scared but then it was really fun!"

Luke and Sid were stunned with a slightly stupid look. Gideon had to clear his throat again to get their attention.

"Oh yes! Sure!" The ex-members of Bison said almost in chorus “So, we'll go now. For any emergency you can contact Katze using the communicator that has been provided to you. I advise you again not to go out yet. And welcome to Ceres!!" Smiling, the mongrels left the house.

As soon as the door was closed, Creek recovered from his position and returned to his furniture role.

“Master Gideon, I think I should check the house to be sure that everything is in order. Then, if you wish, I could prepare you a bath and take care of dinner."

“That would be adorable, Creek. Thanks."

The young man smiled and began to perform his duties. Aylin took one of the cushions from the sofa and placed it on the ground to sit on it and rest her head on Gideon's legs. The Blondie began to fondly caress her hair in an almost paternal way. With that familiar calm ended their first day outside of Jupiter's control.

***

That same evening, on the top floor of the Eos Tower, Raoul was restless.

He hadn't left the penthouse. He had decided not to do it until the third day, when he would show himself to Jupiter. He had spent the whole day back and forth between the laboratory and the library.

Nothing generally relaxed him as much as reading his molecular bioengineering encyclopedias or creating new substances mixing the atoms in the stills. Yet that day he had read and reread the same sentences without being able to pay attention to what he was doing. The elements did not mix, creating wrong chemical reactions.

That impertinent voice bounced in his head. New memories invaded his brainwaves and he couldn't keep them away:

Guy who wiped his tears and cooled his hot temples with a damp cloth.

A burning fire coming from his inner thigh. A strong repressed need to consume not allowed that made his whole body tremble.

His anus that contracted on its own in the rending need to be filled.

The wrists that pulled desperately on restrains trying to give relief to himself.

A voice ... his own voice begging, moaning, shouting. A beastly growl emitted from his own lungs.

Guy who kissed him gently, stroking his head. Those whispered calming words.

The beats went down, the body relaxed, the pulsations in his groin calmed down a bit and after a few minutes the mongrel began to torment him again alternately stimulating the sphincter, the scrotum, the penis, the nipples, the neck, the ears, the toes … The torture began again without ever bringing him to the coveted climax.

Raoul had a fit of anger. He squeezed the alembic firmly, breaking it into a thousand pieces and injuring his hand with tiny fragments of glass. Not sufficiently placated, he took his laboratory instruments and began to hurl them against the walls peeling off some plaster.

Why had he been humiliated in that way?

Why, in retrospect, did he feel an urgent need to be touched again?

Why was the fire stirring his bowels out of need, stronger than that resulting from the anger of the humiliation suffered?

Why did he want to feel Guy inside him again?

Why was he quivering because of that insignificant mongrel's hands, mouth and tongue?

He grabbed the massive ebony bookcase and threw it ruinously against his work desk. He only subsided when he heard Benson knock insistently on the door "Master Am! Everything is alright? Do you need help?"

Raoul struggled to regain some calm and opened the door. The young furniture turned pale when he saw the blood on his Master's hand and the destruction inside the room. "Master Am you're wounded! Please let me take you to the infirmary!"

“It doesn't matter Benson, I will heal my wounds myself. Don't worry about rearranging the lab, I'll have a cleaning company arrange it in the morning."

"A ... all right Master. Dinner will be served in half an hour."

With clenched teeth trying to control his impulses Raoul shut himself up in his room.


	26. Change to grow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of Gideon, Creek and Aylin in New Ceres

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Creek lazily opened his eyes. He felt rested as it hadn't happened in a long time. He reached out to check the time from the alarm clock on the bedside table but ... he found no bedside table. With a jerk he sat up and suddenly remembered that they were no longer in Eos.

Panicked, he looked for a clock and found one attached to the wall. When he realized it was 9 am he almost had a heart attack. Creek was always the first in the house to get up and his alarm was set for 6 am. He jumped up, put on the uniform of the day before and ran towards the hall hoping that his Master would still sleep.

To his great regret, however, he found Gideon and Aylin sitting at the breakfast table intent on to butter some slices of bread and with a cup of steaming tea in front of them.

"Master Gideon I am mortified" He said approaching with his head down "I slept too much, I had not set an alarm clock."

"Come on Creek don't make it a drama. Come, sit down, we have prepared some slice of bread for you too." the Blondie moved the chair inviting him to have a seat. The latter obeyed and silently served himself a cup of tea from the teapot.

"Didn't you find clothes of your size, Creek?" The Blondie asked as he dipped the spoon into the jam jar.

The furniture looked at him intimidated "Oh ... actually I didn't even look, Master Gideon, I ran here with the first thing I found."

The Blondie smiled imagining Creek's reaction when he realized what time it was and had a surge of sympathy for him "I understand Creek. Remember, however, that we are no longer in Eos. You no longer have to wear this uniform, it's somewhat inappropriate. Now eat, then go change and settle down, we'll take care of clearing the table. You look like a chick with ruffled feathers, I guess you haven't even combed or washed your face."

Creek had turned red like a tomato "Oh ... it is indeed so, Master Gideon."

Aylin smiled at the situation with a wink at the poor embarrassed furniture. The girl had worn jeans with a leather belt and a men's black tank top and felt like the bad girl from a movie she had seen in the pet salon a few months earlier. She liked to move away from the candy style she always had. She had also left her hair loose and glanced in the mirror behind the table to observe that new look.

Gideon noticed her attitude "You look very good, Aylin, I like this mongrel style in you. Contrast with your sweet and innocent features."

"Thanks Master Gideon, I like it very much too" Aylin replied smiling again. Her carefree spirit was always like a breath of fresh air for the imposing Blondie.

After breakfast they heard the doorbell ring. The blondie intercepted the furniture that was already going to check the door "Creek, please go make yourself presentable. That must be Sid and Luke. I'll take care of it."

"Ahem ... yes Master Gideon I will go immediately" The young man ran towards his room.

Gideon looked through the peephole and actually saw the two mongrels accompanied by a third young man with dark blond hair pulled back.

"Hi Mr. Blondie!" Sid said happily when the door was opened to them. "How did you spend your first night in Ceres?"

"Good morning Sid. The night was somewhat pleasant, I would say that my furniture felt particularly comfortable since he was unable to even wake up!" Gideon had uttered the last sentence with a note of irony and aloud to make Creek hear him from inside the room. He liked to make fun of him when he had the chance.

"Oh well," Sid replied "I'm glad we managed to break the pattern of the precise baby a little."

"And tell me Sid," continued Gideon "I see there's another person with you. Would you be so lovable to introduce us?"

"Yes sure! Norris, Gideon. Gideon, Norris. He was ... curious to meet you."

"I see" The blondie smirked slyly "And tell me, Norris, were you curious about me or were your aims more directed towards my Aylin?"

Norris, who was doing a full scan of the girl with his eyes, almost drowned with his own saliva and started coughing "Aaah ... excuse me Gideon" the mongrel said when he finished reeling "It's that ... there are almost no girls here ... it was stronger than me."

"I understand. But be careful to keep your hands in place. I don't know how much you heard about the laws that regulate pets in Tanagura but Aylin is my property and I'll not allow anyone to approach her without my authorization. Have I been clear?"

"Yes, very clear Gideon" Norris replied with Luke and Sid nodding in unison, but however though they tried to look away, it was practically impossible to do so. Even with all the best intentions in the world, that angelic creature with purple hair loose on her shoulders and dressed as a gangster mongrel was simply too much to resist.

Gideon rolled his eyes and resigned himself to the fact that his pet wouldn't stop being the main attraction of the house for those three mongrels. He held back the desire to clear his throat again and tried to change the subject "Good. I guess you came to give us instructions on how to get around here!"

"Exactly Gideon," It was Luke this time who spoke " these neighborhoods are still mostly uninhabited, but many buildings are under construction and it's common for workers to pass. For the guy with the light blue hair there are no problems, as long as he doesn't wear that ridiculous furniture uniform, but as for a Blondie and a girl ... you'll have to pay more attention. So ... I need to ask you a question: I know some Blondies have special skills, like changing the color and length of their hair. Can you do it?"

Gideon reacted with a mixture of surprise and irritation to Luke's question "I don't know where you heard of it, but the only Blondie to possess this type of skill was Iason Mink who disappeared over a year ago. He was the main one among the Elites and Jupiter's favorite creation. Our creator had endowed him with exclusive gifts. How do you know these things, Luke? This is very confidential information. Only those who were really close to him knew about it"

Gideon looked the young man in the eyes and suddenly became very serious. He wouldn't have been satisfied with an unsatisfactory answer.

Norris intervened. "I'll tell you. We were friends with Riki the Dark, his pet. We were his bandmates. Some time ago Riki lived in an apartment in Apathia and we had gone there to talk to him. At one point the Blondie arrived and changed the color and length of his hair before our eyes."

Gideon looked visibly amazed, but was satisfied with the answer "So that you were bandmates of that wild mongrel? I've always disapproved of Iason's choice to keep that human as a pet but I must admit that he was an interesting being. He was curious. Fascinating in his own way."

"Riki was special," Sid concluded dryly "but we're not here to talk about him. The point is that, if you can't change the color of your hair, you'll have to dye it and cut it a little. You can't walk around Ceres with that blonde waterfall. And the same thing goes for the eyes, you should cover them with dark glasses or put colored lenses. We cannot take the risk of spreading the rumor that a Blondie lives in New Ceres."

Gideon became thoughtful "I understand," he finally said "it won't be a problem. I agree to change my hair and wear opaque lenses."

"Okay." said Luke "Let us know what color you prefer and we'll bring the necessary tonight."

"Black!" affirmed the Blondie with a flash of light in his eyes and a subtle smile "Both eyes and hair. Like your Riki the Dark."

"O ... okay" Luke replied "Aylin’s situation has now to solved. She should continue to wear men's clothes, bandage her chest, tie her hair with a ponytail and wear a hat and dark glasses when she goes out, so she won't get much attention. And it would be better if she avoided approaching other people and talking, especially in the early days."

"Excellent, I'll make sure these instructions are followed."

"Gideon I have another question to ask you." it was Norris talking "Do you have any money with you?"

Gideon replied slightly frowning "While planning the escape, I had time to withdraw most of my liquidities from the various accounts so the answer is yes, we are provided with sufficient source of sustenance."

"Well," continued Norris "we are in charge of supplying you with food and other basic products weekly, but if you want to make special purchases, we will provide you with a map of the factories and shops in both Ceres and New Ceres. You'll have an aerocar available to move within the borders."

"Great, Norris" replied the Blondie "I see that your boss is particularly generous and well organized. When will we have the pleasure of meeting him?"

"Quickly, Gideon. Very soon." Sid was talking "Now we go. We will come back later with what you need for your hair."

The blondie nodded and the three mongrels left the house.

Creek, who had meanwhile reached the salon and listened to part of the conversation, approached Gideon worriedly "Master, will you seriously dye your beautiful hair?"

"Why not Creek? It will be fun to mix up with the mongrels. Now approach you and Aylin. You too must become a member of this community and in this regard it's important that you do not have identity tags, therefore I'll remove your rings. However, I had already turned them off from the terminal before leaving Eos so that Jupiter could not use them to track us, and at the moment they are nothing more but jewels with your identification code engraved on them. Creek come here!

The young man obeyed and, with a couple of taps, Gideon removed his wrist tag which identified him as furniture. He looked at his empty wrist and felt it incredibly light. He had been wearing that bracelet since he left Guardian at the age of 13, they had put it on immediately after castration. Without it he suddenly felt naked and alone. Kind of like the Blondie were abandoning him to his fate.

"Are you all right, Creek?" Gideon asked sensing his uneasiness.

"Gideon, I want you to continue being my Master. Please don't get rid of me." The young man was struggling to hold back his tears.

"Come on Creek, come closer" the Blondie beckoned him to come closer and then hold him putting his head to his chest, stroking his light blue hair "I'm not getting rid of you, but, from now on I can protect you only when you are near me. When you are on your own, you'll no longer be my furniture, you'll only be Creek, and you'll have to take on your responsibilities. It's a time for the three of us to grow up: I have renounced Jupiter's favor, Eos' protection and my Blondie privileges and you'll have to renounce being in my custody at all the times.

"Show me your neck Aylin” The girl came up and the blondie released the lock of the necklace used as a pet ring "Here! How does it feel to be two simple humans instead of a Blondie's furniture and pet?"

Aylin ran her hand over her empty neck "I feel the same as before, Master Gideon" she said "It seems to me that nothing has changed."

"Exactly baby, just like that" Gideon nodded "Nothing has changed, and at the same time everything has changed. As human beings you will sometimes have to make choices, I won't be the one to always make them for you. Obviously, Aylin, if any of these wild mongrels were to approach you I will still detach his head from the neck and in this regard you'll have to review some of your behavior in public. It will no longer be appropriate for you to show off private parts of your body. I'll help you manage these changes."

"Yes Master" the girl said determinedly, observing the Blondie with her large and innocent dark purple-streaked eyes. Creek, however, was not feeling even better "Master Gideon," he said finally "I have been trained in being a furniture since I was a child. I can't do anything else. I am no longer even a man, I gave up my humanity the moment I accepted the fact that I would go to serve Eos. They taught me to be a machine and to live according to the family I serve. I can't mix with complete humans. They are different from me."

Gideon listened carefully to the young man's words "I'll tell you something, Creek, your reasoning is right, but there is a point: furniture training didn't work well with you. You haven't lost your humanity and you haven't become a machine. In reality, you've never been very good as a furniture. And the same goes for Aylin. The training didn't work well with her either. They failed to make her a brainless being devoted to sex and lust.

And it's precisely for this reason that I chose and maintained you and treated you differently from other furnitures and other pets. Because you are special. And, Creek, if you're concerned about your physical mutilation, nobody will force you to have a sex life. This will be your choice. However, you still remain my property and I'll try to guide you, I won’t be throwing you out on the streets of Ceres suddenly without protection. Okay Creek? Will you look me in the eyes to show me that you understand?"

Creek, who had looked down to the floor so far, let his eyes reach out to the height of those ocean-colored eyes that watched him steadily "Yes Master Gideon excuse me. I will no longer complain."

***

In the afternoon Luke returned with the hair dye. The mongrel, the Blondie and the furniture entered the bathroom and left it almost two hours later. Gideon looked majestic and almost intimidating with that dark-colored hair. The tufts fell irregularly on the forehead and up to the base of the neck. He was dressed entirely in black leather. The sky-colored magnetic irises hidden behind lenses of a deep streaked ebony.

Creek sadly cradled a long clump of gold threads in his hands. Aylin was fascinated by the new appearance of her Master. She approached with shining eyes and a playfull smile and the two exchanged a knowing look. In their new mongrel clothes they felt extremely comfortable.


	27. A pebble in the shoe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two blondies' meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

The three days had passed.

Raoul, inside the highest dome of the Jupiter tower, knelt, waiting for his creator. It materialized in humanoid form and approached the Blondie. A buzzing echoed through the room and a synthetic blue light flashed annoyingly.

“My son, I see you in excellent health. This is surprising, not to say improbable. How do you explain your condition?"

Raoul looked up. “Supreme Jupiter. I cannot give an explanation, I myself couldn't believe that my intellectual abilities were still functioning."

The Supercomputer Lambda 3000, better known as Jupiter, approached until it placed its hand on the blondie's head. "I will scan your mind to check the status of your circuits and repair any bad sectors."

Raoul closed his eyes and let Jupiter penetrate his brain. A few minutes passed when only the slight hum of the scan could be heard.

"My son, I have found some slightly damaged sectors. I fixed them. My goal has never been to cause you permanent damage and whatever your condition would have been after the sentence, I would have restore your mind back to its original state. I cannot afford anything less than perfection from you my son, not after the loss of Iason. It's your responsibility to be an example to follow for all your brothers. Mistakes are not allowed. I hope that the sufferings and humiliations of the marking have helped you understand these concepts. Nonetheless, I must praise your amazing physical temperament: no other Blondie could have overcome the penalty that was inflicted on you with so little damage."

“Supreme Jupiter. I won't make any more mistakes. I will not disappoint you again."

"Get up, son."

Raoul stood up. The AI was in front of him scrutinizing his gaze carefully.

“You will go immediately to the clinic, Raoul, for your brother’s mental cleansing. Don't be sorry for him, son, Gideon is imperfect and it's our duty to bring him back to the best of his habilities.”

Jupiter touched Raoul's face with its hand and dematerialized. A disturbing and reverberating white sound filled the room. Raoul went out and walked to the clinic which was located on the lower floors of the tower of Jupiter.

In the elevator he had a loss of balance and leaned against the wall. He sighed deeply to relieve the tension that had accompanied him all morning. He had made an enormous effort to contain his memories and was not sure that he would be able to hide his new instincts and desires from Jupiter. Luckily the AI hadn't considered the organic brain. The artificial one had been the only one on which it had focused its attention on.

Now he was going to the clinic to wait for a Gideon who would never come, he had been advised by Iason about their brother's moves. He felt a little jealousy towards them. He was starting to think about it too ... free himself from Eos' captivity ... he immediately pushed that absurd idea out of his head.

As soon as he arrived at the clinic he was surrounded by his employees. Raoul hadn't shown up for over 10 days without warning and it was rumored that he had been removed from the role of syndicate leader and severely punished by Jupiter. In the clinic everyone felt enormous respect and even affection for him because his medical and biochemical skills were truly masterful and Raoul carried out his duties with devotion and passion.

After reassuring his colleagues that his state of health was impeccable, he went to his study and waited. He had a lot of backlog work to examine and therefore the wait was not unproductive.

In the early afternoon, as Gideon had not shown up, he sent an urgent summons order with Jupiter's seal directly to his apartment.

An hour later the emissary returned saying that Lord Lagat's interior was empty. The information was communicated to Jupiter who immediately sent its guards out to look for him. A state of emergency was declared in Eos and each Blondie was questioned about Gideon's position. Aisha hurried to report how he had last met his brother the late afternoon two days earlier.

Following Aisha's report, surveillance cameras were examined: Gideon was seen strolling around Eos with his pet and his furniture. The last shot was from the garage. However, there were no records of how they got out, evidently they had managed to find a blind spot. What was certain was that they had not gone back.

Jupiter's anger made the walls of the tower tremble. The search order was extended to all Tanagura and Midas. Wherever they went to hide they would find them soon.

***

That same day, a few tens of meters below ground level, a mongrel with dark tufts was brushing long ivory-colored hair. “You never explained to me how you can do that thing of changing the color and length of your hair. Just think about it or what?"

“More or less Riki. I have 20 different cut and color styles saved in my brain database. I just have to select one and activate it with a blink of an eye."

“Every time you talk about yourself with these computer terms, my skin gets bumpy, you know? Changing the subject ... how do you feel about going outside? After all this time it can be strange, the body and mind may react in unexpected ways." The young man ran his fingers throughout the tufts one more time.

“I could ask you the same thing, Riki. Your organic body is more exposed to these reactions than mine."

“Yes, but at least I haven't always stayed here at home: I was going to Katze and Guy’s places and using the gym almost every day. You, the only time you got out of this bunker was to sign that contract in Katze's offices. Don't get me wrong, I love this place, but we also have other needs, you and me. Like sun, wind, walking on real earth ..."

Iason had stood up and was putting on his jacket. He approached his mongrel with a hand under his chin. “Soon we will be able to walk freely on the surface love. A little more patience."

"Yes I know." Riki replied, moving slightly away. He was too excited for the fact that they were about to go outside and was not in the mood for romantic effusions. He put on his black leather jacket and went to open the door on the Ceres side. "Please, Lord Mink, you first." He said simulating fake seriousness.

The blondie replied with a captivating smile and started to walk the tunnel that led to the slums. He wore a brown cloth jacket with a blue shirt and trousers. This look was unusual for Iason who, although he had never left the house in the span of last year, had continued to wear typical Elìte clothes, that is, long tunics full of buttons and light pants. All of refined fabrics such as silk, satin or cotton of high quality and strictly clear. And gold accessories with precious stones.

They arrived to the warehouse and Riki went to knock on Guy's apartment door. He knocked several times but got no answer. When he tried to open he found it locked.

"Something happens to Guy," finally he said, addressing Iason, “he hasn't shown up in three days and remains locked up in there. He doesn't even answer phone calls. Sid also tried to contact him without success."

"We'll take care of it, Riki." the Blondie replied calmly.

They headed for the exit at the back of the factory. Norris was waiting for them outside in the black aerocar with darkened windows. Iason put on his dark glasses and changed his hair by shortening it to the base of the neck and giving it a brown color.

Riki exchanged a knowing look with Norris. At his affirmative, he approached Iason, stamped a kiss in his mouth whispering a 'sorry' in his ear and then slung out of the warehouse, taking the helmet from Norris' hands and putting it on his head. Then he got into the aerobike parked nearby, turned the already inserted key and drove off.

Iason shook his head. In fact, he expected something like this. He got into the car and they left.

Riki gave a couple of turns around his old neighborhoods before taking the road to New Ceres. It was ecstatic for him to experience the thrill of high speed, the wind on his skin and see the dust rising, forming a yellow cloud all around. He also had the opportunity to check the changes made with his own eyes. For one who hadn't been back in Ceres for more than two years, the difference was remarkable: people on the street seemed visibly more relaxed, the atmosphere less threatening, the streets cleaner and the buildings less destroyed.

He turned in the direction of Herbay. He had received instructions from Norris on the way to go and reached his goal without getting lost. It was a house with a garden, all protected by a high fence that left no view from the outside. The black car also arrived soon, Norris opened the gate with a remote control and they went inside.

Riki got off the bike and took off his helmet. He smiled beaming at Iason who was getting out of the car and at that sight the blondie became thoughtful. He hadn't seen his mongrel so happy for a long, long time. He should have done something about it.

In the garden there was Aylin swinging on a swing hanging from the branch of a large tree. When she saw the two vehicles enter, she approached curiously and greeted Norris with joy.

Norris replied with a too forced smile, he still couldn't behave in a natural way with that girl.

"Hello!" Riki said amicably.

Aylin approached him observing that young man carefully.

"I know you" she finally said “You lived in Eos! You were that pet that always stayed on his own in the gardens. Quite right?"

"Wow what a memory!" Riki exclaimed “You are right. But I don't remember you. You must excuse me but at the time I didn't pay much attention to others people living in Eos."

"Actually neither do I" Aylin replied, turning a tuft of hair between her fingers "But it was difficult not to know you, in the salons all they did was talk about you. Besides, for several weeks you went around Eos every day on a leash with your furniture. You were ... flashy."

Riki began to throb embarrassed hoping that Norris had not heard but it was a vain hope, his former gangmate was right there just a stone's throw away.

"Ahem ... yes," he finally said "it was a kind of punishment from that sadistic Orphe for running away from Eos."

"And what happened to you then?" Aylin went on "We never saw you around anymore, we thought you had been sold or disposed of for that incident with the Paradita's furniture."

"Actually Iason bought me an apartment in Apathia and I went to live there."

Aylin suddenly widened her eyes "But then ... you were Iason Mink's pet? Weren't you dead with him in that space accident?"

Only then did the girl take a good look at the man who had remained a little aside to observe the interactions between the two humans and who in the meantime had restored his hair to its natural state and recognized the Blondie.

"Aah but ... he's Iason Mink!" She exclaimed covering her mouth with her hands in surprise, in the immediate awareness that the former syndicate leader was not dead but had remained hidden all this time in Ceres. Iason approached and turned to the girl.

“Good evening Aylin. Would you take me to Gideon?"

"Yes sure. Follow me!" The pet entered the house followed by Iason.

Gideon was telling Creek how to arrange the living room furniture when the girl approached.

"Master Gideon," she said "there's a visitor for you."

The Blondie looked away and when he saw the supposed guest he almost had to support himself on the table in order not to fall from amazement. Suddenly he started laughing in an almost hysterical way. Stunned by hilarity, he fell on the armchair.

"Minosi Kan!" he finally said without stopping laughing “Iason Mink! I should have imagined it!"

Iason, infected by his brother's hilarity, sat on the other armchair laughing in turn.

“Did you seriously think I had believed that space accident story? Oh no my dear. I imagined you hidden in some distant planet with that your wild mongrel. I see that I was not very far from reality!"

Iason stretched comfortably on the armchair, leaning back and crossing his legs. "In fact, you went close enough, brother. I'm sorry I caused you problems with Jupiter."

"Well I think you've already made up for it. So ... what about Raoul? Is your dear friend another unwitting victim of your games or an ally of your distorted plans?”

"Raoul knows everything, and has agreed to cooperate."

Creek, who had been petrified, suddenly remembered his duties in welcoming a guest and approached him bowing.

"Good evening Lord ..." he paused, because he hadn't understood how he should address that Blondie. Mink? Kan? He had confused ideas.

"Call me Iason."

"Oh ... Lord Iason, can I bring you something? Some tea? Some coffee? We don't actually have wines or spirits."

"I'll make sure you get it." The blondie replied. “And tea will be lovely. There are two people in the garden, bring them in and ask them if they want some too."

"Oh. Yes sure Sir. I'll go immediately." Creek bowed again and headed for the front door.

He returned a few seconds later accompanied by Norris and Riki. The latter widened his eyes at the sight of the onyx / blondie.

"What the hell, Gideon!" he exclaimed "Are you trying to become my twin or what?"

"Oh sure," the Elite remembered "I tend to forget my current appearance. But on the other hand you should belong to the world of the deceased so my look did not pretend to take you into the background, Riki. However, I am glad to see you in good health. I suppose returning to the slums has benefited your rebellious spirit."

"Yeah, well I feel definitely much better now I don't have sadistic blondies around me who enjoy seeing me sexually tortured in public!" He said rudely. Riki needed to take off a pebble long stuck in his shoe.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you're still mad at me for that little playful request during your presentation party!" The blondie replied.

“I inform you that because of that “small request” your brother raped me all night until I had to get a doctor to repair me. So yes, I'm still pissed. And with both!" Riki pointed a finger at Iason who was about to intervene, as if to advise him not to try to interrupt him. Then he continued "Anyway, I'm glad you're here. I have forgiven Iason and will do the same with you, but try not to be a big dick again. Here in Ceres, we don't live to be at the service of egolatrous androids."

After venting, he was about to return to Norris across the hall, expecting no response except perhaps a mockery, but Gideon surprised him.

“I suppose I owe you an apology, Riki, well I'll give it to you. You know, I didn't have much respect for humans at the time but now I think differently. My pet and my furniture helped me understand many things. So I apologize to you, Riki the Dark, in stead of all Eos Blondies. It must not have been easy for you to submit to that kind of life."

"Sorry, love." Iason added, touching his fingers. “There's no justification for what has been done to you. For what I did to you."

Riki wipped up two tears that had slipped down treacherously.

"Oh ... ok. Thank you" He said, and literally fled to the garden because he didn't want to be seen so vulnerable. He felt he had lifted a great deal of weight from his chest and his heart seemed to want to burst at any moment. Inside the room the two Blondies resumed their conversation.

"Well, Gideon" Iason broke the silence "I think I have a confession to make to you: in reality I didn't make you come here just to hide from Jupiter."

“A second end Iason? Well. Explain. I am all ears."

“We are forming an army. We want to conquer Guardian and keep up with Jupiter. We need a general who can train and command these guys. A cold-blooded strategist, someone with your military skills. Basically, I'm offering you a job, Gideon."

The Blondie / Onyx took a moment to think. Then he smiled mockingly.

“Well, I was afraid of having to retire to domestic life and the prospect was somewhat boring. So obviously I accept your offer, Iason. In fact, I can't wait to get started."

The other blondie returned the smile with a twinkle in his eyes. "I knew we could count on you, brother."

***

Meanwhile, in the garden, Riki was leaning against a low wall, immersed in his thoughts. Timidly the young man with light-blue hair approached him.

"Hello! I ... I'm Creek."

"Riki." The other replied "You are Gideon's furniture, right?"

"Yes, right. Sorry if I disturb you. I've heard you speak before in the salon and I've felt a little identified with what you said."

"Really?" Riki asked "How come?"

"So ... I didn't want to be a furniture. I wanted to be like the other guys in Guardian and live in Ceres. But one day, when I was 12, they told me that I had passed some stranged aptitude tests, that I had been selected for a great opportunity, and with the excuse of doing some clinical tests they took me to a doctor's office and sedated me. When I woke up I was no longer a man and I had an identification tag for furniture on my wrist.”

Riki listened attentively, observing that young man so pure that had probably never opened his soul up to anyone since then.

“They took me to Eos to train and the formation was very tough. They told me that I was clumsy and useless and that no Elite would ever take me into service. That I would end up among the type-C furnitures: the discarded ones.

Then Gideon chose me, it was five years ago, I had just turned 15. He is now good to me but at the beginning it was not like that. I made many mistakes and he punished me often and constantly threatened to dispose of me. Once he used the whip and afterwards I was very sick ... that is, not for the whip itself, from those injuries I recovered in a few days, but I had a kind of psychological collapse and I could no longer eat or sleep. The little food I ingested I rejected immediately. In the end I no longer had the strength to get out of bed.

One day a doctor came to visit me and advised Gideon to get rid of me and take another furniture, he told him that I was hopeless. The Master, instead of following the doctor's advice, started to ... cure me. Suddenly he spoke to me and treated me like a person instead of a household utensil. He took me to help me eat and stayed in my room until I fell asleep. I slowly recovered and resumed my work. The Master no longer threatened or punished me and no longer treated me with contempt.

I am now happy to be a furniture and to serve Gideon, I am satisfied with my life and I don't want to be anything else. I'm telling you these things because ... I think you're very strong. Despite the injustices suffered, you remained yourself, you didn't lose your identity and you survived. And now you've forgiven your Blondie and you're fighting for your people. I think that ... I envy you. I wish to had some of your strength."

Riki hadn't lost a single word of that story. Those tapered clear eyes conveyed great sincerity.

"Hey, do you know what?" he finally said, "I believe you are strong too. You too remained yourself and survived, and now you are in Ceres, and you are free! Wasn't that what you wanted as a kid? You got much more than most furnitures. Don't you agree?"

Creek listened to Riki's words without great conviction. "My Master said I have to start taking responsibility and looking after myself, but I don't think I can do it. I don't feel strong. Not like you."

Riki looked up to the sky and took a moment to respond. “See Creek, I felt that way when I came out of Guardian. Do you know who gave me strength? Ceres! And my friends! I think you just have to give yourself time to assimilate these changes. I think you are stronger than you believe."

Creek shrugged. “Thanks Riki. I really hope you are right."

The two young men waited in silence. Half an hour later Iason and Norris left.

Riki and his Blondie looked at each other in the eye. There was nothing to say. They took each other hands and advanced together towards the vehicles. The mongrel put his helmet on his head, climbed on the motorcycle and immediately set off at high speed against the wind and Ceres dust.


	28. The direct way to Ceres

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raoul demands clarifications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters, let me know in the comments if you like it too.
> 
> Language corrections by Callie Paris.

The day after the meeting with Jupiter, Raoul decided that he needed answers to heal the inner disquiet that stirred his bowels from the day of his awakening at Iason's house.

He entered Katze's office using his magnetic card, the black market boss wasn't there. He continued along the tunnel until he came to Iason's house and knocked on the door. Cal opened a few moments later.

"Welcome Lord Am." the furniture said politely.

"Good morning Cal. Don't bother to warn Iason of my arrival, my goal is the exit for Ceres."

Without waiting for a reply from the furniture, Raoul continued advancing the entire length of the apartment until he reached the other door and passed through it. There was another tunnel and he ran all the way to the exit.

He found himself in a large room with un-plastered concrete walls, metal junk and cardboard boxes were piled up on all sides. All around the room there were several corridors and some doors.

Raoul approached one of them: it smelled of cheap alcohol, sweat and tobacco. Guy.

Raoul knocked. When he got no answer he tried again with more energy. On the third attempt he decided to break the lock and the door swung open with a thump.

Guy was sitting on a chair and panicked suddenly stood up.

"Raoul!" He exclaimed when he had the clear view of the Blondie.

"Aren't you used to opening doors in the slums when you hear a knock, Guy?"

The Blondie entered uninvited and stood in front of the man with his arms crossed.

"Yes ... sorry. I thought it was Riki ... Why are you here?"

"Because I want answers, Guy."

Raoul grabbed the mongrel's wrist and pushed him against the wall. The man screamed at the sudden pressure.

“Did you do it to pay off your debt with Iason or were you involved for another reason? Was it only a mechanical action or did you feel something? Reply!"

The mongrel was unable to respond. His throat had closed because of fear.

"Answer me Guy!"

Raoul tightened his grip on his wrist a little. Not so as to really cause him harm, but Guy had a flashback: that of another angry Blondie who shattered his bones and tore his muscles, tendons and nerves. He began to shout and cry in a hysterical and anguished way!

"AAAAAH LEAVE IT! LEEEEAVE IT!!"

The events of a year ago were repeating in his mind. He couldn't risk losing his other arm. The reaction was so extreme that Raoul let him go. He was suprised at first and then, understanding what was going through Guy’s mind, he softened his tone and attitude.

"Calm down," he said. "Calm down, I didn't hurt you. Your arm is fine."

Guy looked at his wrist and moved his hand. When he realized that was actually well he began to relax a bit and lowered the rhythm of his breathing.

“Now you will answer me, Guy. Why did you do that?"

Raoul repeated the question. Guy was standing squashed against the wall. The blondie right in front of him with the palms of his hands resting on the wall on both sides of the man.

"I ... I was involved willingly." Finally he said in a low voice "I was feeling something ..."

The Blondie didn't move from his position and continued with the questions.

“And what did you feel, Guy? I want to know everything!"

The young man didn't answer.

“How did you feel while you had me under you so helpless, Guy? Did you feel pleasure? Did you feel powerful? Or maybe you felt sorry? What did, a mutilated human like you, feel having control over someone like me? What was going on in your head while you tortured me? While I begged you? How do you feel about the misery and the tears of agony from a Blondie?"

Raoul was pressing his body against Guy's. His mouth pressed to his ear as he asked these questions.

"Come on Guy, answer me! How did you feel while you dominated me? While playing with my body, torturing it in any way possible?

What was it like putting your cock inside me and watching my reactions? Listen to my moans of pleasure and pain and see the tremors of my body in agony?

Did you feel good and magnanimous when you stopped and comforted my suffering? Or was it another way to assert your power and emphasize my humiliation? And when you cleaned up the most intimate and private areas of my body, Guy, did you do it for altruism or to eliminate any crumb of pride I had left?"

Guy was terrified and silent. As much as he tried to say something, his voice didn't want to come out. Only a faint high-pitched hiss came from his lips.

“What happens to your voice, Guy? Yet it was so clear and authoritarian when you whispered dirty things in my ear, when you told me to focus only on your hands and your cock. When you called me ... how did you call me, Guy? Remember it? Come on, say it! "

"B ... bombon." He managed to say. His voice was barely audible.

"Good Guy, I see that you are starting to recover your voice. Now I will help you. We will play the game of yes and no. I'll ask you some questions and you will answer with a yes or a no. What do you say? Let's get started right away! Did you feel powerful, Guy?"

"Yes."

"Good boy." Raoul stroked the boy's cheek with the palm of his hand. “Now let's continue. Did you feel pleasure? "

"Yes."

"Did you feel sorry for me?"

"Yes."

"Did you feel pity, Guy?"

"Y ... yes."

"Did it excite you to make me moan and beg?"

"Yes."

"Did you want to humiliate me, Guy?"

"No."

“Did you feel superior to me? Did you enjoy my suffering? Did my screams and entreaties amuse you? Did you enjoy seeing me pull my chains and wriggle like a caged beast? Like the most infamous of sex dolls?"

"No, no, NO and NO." Guy's voice was beginning to take shape.

Raoul put a hand under his chin and rubbed his thumb over his lips.

"And what other feelings did you have? What did you feel? I want to know everything, Guy, don't hide anything from me."

"Y ... your smell. I liked to smell you. I liked to stare your eyes and run my hand through your hair. I liked how you reacted when I kissed you or…” Guy froze for fear that what he was about to say was too bold.

"Yes? Don't stop Guy, tell me everything. Don't be afraid for your safety: whatever you tell me I won't hurt you."

"I liked how you reacted when I bitten your ear, licked your neck or squeezed a nipple. Or when I took you in my mouth, or put my fingers in the ... "

“In my rectum, Guy? And tell me, how did I react? And when you beat your cock all the way, how did I react?"

"You were ... spontaneous. Very responsive. Sincere."

"Good, Guy. And what else did you like about me?"

"Your skin. And the way your abdominal muscles were shaking when I touched you. I liked the lines of your face, and the fire in your gaze. And ... your penis, the way it swelled and throbbed powerfully and its poetic beauty even in its resting state. I liked your anus so sensitive and your thighs so toned and strong. And your muscular arms that seemed to be able to break those titanium restrains at any moment. I liked it when you insulted me, threatened me, spat on me, snarled and drooled. Like a lion who doesn't give up even if he has no chance."

"Good boy." The blondie whispered, blowing into Guy's ear. "Did you feel attracted to me?"

"Yes."

"Do you steel feel attracted to me?"

"Y ... yes."

"Are you excited now, Guy?"

"Yes!"

"Do you think I'm attracted to you?"

"..."

“Reply Guy. Answer with sincerity."

"Yes."

"Do I look excited right now?"

"YES!"

Raoul brought his knee between Guy's legs pressing him against his hardened penis.

“So what are you going to do, Guy? Will you submit as a mongrel enslaved by a Blondie or will you dominate me as a master?"

"I ... will dominate you." Guy couldn't believe the audacity of his words.

"Good boy ..." Raoul whispered licking his ear.

A moment later Guy started to tear off his clothes and pushed him lying on the bed. With the same enthusiasm, he stripped himself of his clothes and climbed over Raoul's body, kissing him at every point, biting and scratching him.

The Blondie started to quiver, arch and pant.

Guy took his organ in his mouth, sucking it voraciously.

Raoul moaned and grabbed his long brown hair.

Guy moistened his fingers and suddenly stuck them in the blondie's rectum.

Raoul screamed, and relaxed his muscles to allow the mongrel to enlarge and penetrate deeper.

"Turn around." Said the human.

Raoul obeyed and turned his belly underneath raising himself on all fours.

Guy slowly penetrated him, stopping, stroking and kissing his back with the slightest hint of discomfort. When he was completely inside, he went through the whole column of Raoul with the tips of his fingers enjoying the sight of clear skin and those golden curls that fell forward covering his face completely. He started to fuck him slowly and deeply but pushing hard before each lunge.

Raoul began to groan vocally.

Guy increased his speed and eventually took his organ in his hand pumping it vigorously.

Raoul came with an unmuted cry and grasping the sheets forcefully.

Guy continued to move grabbing him by the hips until he too came with a stifled groan shooting his essence into that magnetic body. He waited a few seconds for the postcoital spasms to subside and he slipped out of Raoul's body, who immediately collapsed on the bed followed by Guy who stretched out beside him embracing him.

Nobody said anything for a while, perhaps overwhelmed by the embarrassment of that unusual situation. Finally Raoul spoke.

“You must promise to call me every evening on my communicator with waves invisible to Jupiter. I will give you the coordinates. I have not felt well in the evening since I returned to Eos."

"All right." Guy replied “I haven't felt well since then either. When will you come back to me? "

"As soon as I can."

"Ok."

There was nothing else to say. After about 15 minutes of staying there, simply lying on top of each other, Raoul got up, got dressed and left the apartment.

***

After Raoul broke into the apartment to continue to the exit leading to Ceres, Cal was somewhat confused. He wondered if he should have informed his masters of the strange event but Iason was locked up in the study and seemed very busy while Riki was doing a gym exercise routine. He decided not to disturb them for the moment and wait for one of them to free himself.

About 20 minutes later, Riki left the gymnasium.

"I'm going to take a shower, Cal." He said to the furniture, but then, when he saw him hesitate, he added “Did something happen? Is there any problem?"

"Nothing important master Riki," the boy said. "It's just that Lord Am arrived 20 minutes ago. But he didn't stay, he took the exit for Ceres."

"To Guy?!?" Riki threw the towel he carried around his neck. "Fuck Cal, why didn't you tell me right away?"

He rushed to the door and ran running through the tunnel that led to the Ceres warehouse. In his mind was formed the image of Raoul who, with his whip, skinned the boy to death or squeezed his neck until he choked him.

'Fuck' he thought 'I should have warned Iason. If the blondie is out of his mind, I alone will not be able to stop him.'

With these images in mind he arrived at Guy's door and found it open and with the lock broken. Bad sign. He entered cautiously and heard noises coming from the bedroom. Moans. Yells. It sounded like Raoul's voice.

He approached the door of the room and silent as a cat peeked inside: he saw Raoul on all fours on the bed and Guy who was fucking him from behind.

Riki, without believing his eyes, silent as he had entered, retraced the inverse path until returning to his home.

Half an hour later the Blondie, in his sumptuous and perfectly tidy clothes, returned to the underground shelter through the door on the Ceres side and found Riki, already out of the shower and dressed, sitting on the sofa in the living room.

"Riki." greeted Raoul.

"Good morning Raoul." Said the young man. “Cal told me he saw you pass an hour ago. Did you go to Guy’s? How is he?"

“The mongrel is in perfect health. I had some issues to talk to him about." The blondie replied, remaining vague.

"Ah ok. Do you want to meet with Iason? Shall I call him?"

"Another time." Raoul replied “Now I have to go to the clinic. I have some work to do."

"Ok"

The Blondie was about to return to Midas when Riki called him. “Raoul, if you ever have to talk to Guy again, you don't have to go through the apartment. There is a tunnel that runs around the house and connects Midas directly to Ceres. You have to turn left ten meters before our door."

The Blondie replied selflessly. “If I have this need again, I'll keep it in mind. Have a nice day Riki."

"Good day to you too."

Raoul walked away. Riki, still incredulous, plunged back onto the sofa, massaging his head.


	29. Blondies with feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raoul and Gideon grappling with the humans they care about

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language correction by Callie Paris

Gideon was escorted by Sid to the new military training center. Aylin and Creek had insisted on accompanying their Master and the Blondie had accepted on the condition that they stayed on the sidelines.

At the moment, Ceres' army had about 500 members, all volunteers. All of them had been gathered in the center of the field to get to know their new general.

The atmosphere within the group was very relaxed: none of those boys had ever had to fight a war nor had such a historical memory handed down to them, apart from the rebellion that took place centuries ago, of which only legends talk about.

The volunteers were all extremely motivated in the ideal of Ceres' reconstruction but basically had no idea what it meant to be part of an army and didn't understand the concept of authority nor discipline. Iason had been very clear with Gideon, the mission would be difficult: he should take a bunch of brave men but with a messy and rebellious spirit and zero propensity for obedience and turn them into an organized army.

Gideon arrived at the camp dressed entirely in black leather. He passed walking among the group with Sid at his side. As they passed, the mongrels moved around forming a corridor. He positioned himself right in the center of the herd.

Quickly the buzz turned into silence at the sight of that tall and imposing man, with very clear skin and completely black hair and eyes.

"I'm Noa," said Gideon in a voice so projected that everyone was clearly heard "and I've been proposed to become your general.

I have not come to command you or to tell you what to do. I won't be so magnanimous. I will teach you to use a weapon and face an enemy. I will teach you to cooperate and protect each other. I will teach you to respect your fears to have the courage to fight them. I will teach you to face death and defeat with your head held high and victory with your head held low.

The rest is up to you. Your decisions will make the difference between winning and losing, between remaining marginalized or being recognized as people with rights and duties. Here we will not use military terms, there will be no uniforms or medals. There will be no formalities and we will all be companions on the pitch. Those of you who don't feel up to it say it now and leave, otherwise start with me this adventure that will lead us to war."

When Gideon finished his speech, the silence was so intense that the wind rustled. Then suddenly the mongrels let out a cry and began to clap their chests with their hands as a sign of respect for their commander.

Aylin, who was not far away and well camouflaged in her Ceresian men's clothes, imitated the others and went to mingle with the crowd, also dragging Creek with her. When the roar stopped, Gideon spoke again.

“To begin training we need to split up into groups. We will make teams of 50 men and for each of them I'll choose a team leader. Each team will in turn be divided into 5 groups of 10. To use terms familiar to you, these smaller groups will be called bands and for each band I'll choose a band leader. Everything is clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Well. Now 50 of you will follow me and head for the training wing. I need to evaluate your skills. You over there, with the blue shirt, what's your name?"

"John, Sir." The young man, who had been asked, answered.

“Choose 49 others among your companions and come with me. The rest can wait for now. You can relax but stay alert."

Gideon went with the first team to the training wing, where he assessed everyone's skills and weaknesses. He appointed a team leader and chose the 5 bands with their band leaders. Then he did the same with 50 other soldiers and so on until only a small group remained, including Sid.

“You are the last. Come with me."

"General Noa!" A voice cut them off. Gideon turned to see who had spoken. It was Aylin. "I want to enlist, general" said the girl in a firm and deep voice, imitating a male tone.

Gideon frowned in a fit of anger he couldn't show at the moment. "You can't sign up." He simply said.

“General I insist! I want to be part of the cause. I want to make my contribution to this war. You said our decisions will make a difference! Well this is mine, you can't stop me!"

Gideon clenched his fist. He could not take back the words spoken before his men nor could he prevent that ‘boy’ from enlisting without revealing ‘his’ true identity. 'Curse' he thought to himself.

"Very well, if that's your wish you're on the team." Finally he said through gritted teeth "What's your name?"

"I'm Neel." The young soldier replied.

So even the last team headed for the training wing. Gideon put Aylin in the same band as Sid, who was named band leader. At the end of the day everyone was reconvened for the following morning to start training and returned to their homes.

On the return journey, Aylin was seated with her head held high. No sign of displeasure or repentance for the act of rebellion she had carried out. After a few minutes of silence Gideon spoke.

“Creek, I need you in the army. You'll be in charge of the kitchens. You'll have to take care of the supply of food and guide the group that, in rotation, will be in charge of assisting you in the preparation and administration of meals. You'll have to be authoritarian, Creek, to be respected and obeyed by different men every time. It's an important role because for a soldier the moment of the meal represents the reward for a whole day of efforts. Can I count on you?"

The young furniture, who had observed with fear and admiration the delicate Aylin's act of rebellion to join the army despite the disagreement of their Master, decided not to be outdone and not show signs of weakness or fear, even if inside he was trembling.

"Yes Master Gideon, you can count on me." Finally he declared.

"Great." The Blondie said and silently went on home.

Once Gideon arrived he appeared unfriendly. He twitched with his jaw clenched and it was clear that inside he was seething with anger and that he was trying to contain himself.

"Creek," finally he ordered "retire to your quarters. Immediately!"

The young man obeyed and gave his friend a worried look before disappearing behind the door. Gideon took the leather collar and chain and fastened them around Aylin's neck, jerked her abruptly against the corner of the living room and sat down on a chair in front of her.

"Take off your clothes. Perform. " He ordered.

Gideon had never asked her to perform privately. The girl had previously performed her pet duties only during the mandatory parties organized by Orphe but otherwise the Blondie had limited himself to making her dress in an adorable way, keep her close to him sitting on the floor or in his lap and stroke her hair.

However, Aylin had received a very careful academic pet training and undressed without any hint of modesty or shame. She skillfully and seductively stimulated her sensitive points, quickly leading to excitement keeping her gaze always focused on her Master's eyes; at some point, while with targeted movements she approached pleasure, she began to express herself vocally, emitting small moans.

She sat on the floor with her back against the wall, brought her pelvis forward and opened her legs to offer better vision of her genitals. Then she began to stimulate both labia minora and majora and her clitoris with her fingers, occasionally inserting them into her vaginal canal to massage the jagged walls. The secreted mucus allowed her fingers to slide easily on the skin without the need for further lubrication.

Soon her body started to tremble. Pleasure escaped from the lips in airy and passionate cries. The movement of her fingers became faster as she approached climax and her vagina was red and swollen.

Suddenly the pleasure invaded her, radiating from inside towards the extremities accompanied by a last liberating cry and a jolt of the whole body.

Her hands immediately went to cover that hot and throbbing organ as if to protect it ... then she remembered that she was performing and quicly removed them. On the physical and mental journey to release she had forgotten that she was not alone.

Unhurriedly she waited for the rhythm of her breathing and heartbeat to slow down, then opened up her eyes to seek the approval of her Master. Gideon looked at her full of mortification.

The Blondie stood up and reached out to help her stand up too, not worrying that her fingers were still wet with mucus. Silently he removed the collar and hugged her leaning the girl against his chest and gently stroking her hair.

"I shouldn't have done that," he said "I’m sorry."

Aylin didn't reply. In reality she had not felt violated but she knew that what she has been asked to do was a punishment for her actions in the afternoon. She would have liked to do it for the pleasure of her Master, not as a punitive act.

"Go to rest," Gideon said to her "we have to get up early tomorrow. You will start training and you must be strong."

"Yes Master." The girl replied. She gathered up her clothes, looked one last time at the Blondie with those big dark eyes streaked with purple and silently retired to her room.

***

In the dome of the tower of Jupiter, the Artificial Intelligence reviewed the data of the previous days.

There was a mistake. Something not logical.

Raoul.

Its son had lied by hiding something important.

The deteriorating effects of 7 days of scream marking on brain circuits and general physical state were a fact. An inevitable consequence.

Its son had found a way around his punishment. He had someone outside Eos help him.

Lambda 3000 decided to check the Eos records of the period during and immediately after the marking to examine Raoul's movements.

***

Raoul turned on the communicator, sat on the bed and waited.

He had worked late in the lab that day, then returned home and had his meal prepared by Benson. After that, instead of going to the library as usual, he retired directly to his quarters.

He checked the time: 8:55 Pm.

He was uneasy. He tried to lay on the bed and occupy his mind. He reviewed the chemical formulas of complex molecules and the compositions of some recurring formulas.

He looked at the time again: 8:58 pm.

The blondie got out of bed, entered the bathroom and washed his face. Then he settled the tufts that frame his face. He brushed his teeth thoroughly. His super-hearing Blondie was always attentive to any sound coming from the communicator on the bed.

He returned to the room: 9:02 pm.

Raoul started to panic. Why hadn't he called him at the appointed time? Had he thought about it? Didn't he want to talk to him? Had something happened to him? Was he with someone?

Thoughts of anger, sadness and jealousy began to invade the majestic Blondie. It was Riki's fault for putting those lies about courtship and relationships into his head. He would go get Guy tomorrow, put a pet ring around his neck and bring him to Eos.

His mood was divided between the desire to cry, that of breaking something and that of running immediately to Ceres then ... the communicator rang. Guy. Raoul tried to compose himself and accepted the call. Guy appeared on the holoprojector.

\- Hey Raoul! Hello! I hope ... I'm not too late. -

\- I wasn't checking the time. - The Blondie lied detachedly.

\- Ok. - The other replied - So ... what would you like to talk about? You know I'm not very familiar with this telecommunication things. We don't use them in Ceres. -

\- You could start by telling me about your day, Guy. -

\- Ok. So, this morning… - Guy began to tell about the things he had done, the people he had met and the problems he had to solve. Raoul listened carefully and occasionally intervened asking questions or giving his opinion.

\- Ok Blondie, your turn. What have you done today? -

Raoul told of his annoying conversation with Orphe that morning, his work in the clinic, the cases he had had to solve that day, his lunch in Parthea with his colleagues, then continued with his afternoon in the laboratory for the new ordering of exclusive pets ...

\- Wait Raoul stop for a moment! - Guy cut him off - Are you saying that you create pets? Did I get it right? -

\- In reality, I mainly deal with the design and genetic manipulation in a test tube. The actual creation takes place in external laboratories. I only accept special requests in which the final product arises from the hybridization of human, alien and animal genes and gametes or humans with particular characteristics such as missing or excess organs, oversized limbs etc ... Another request I often receive is to operate the mental cleansing on human outcasts in order to obtain obedient sexual dolls. It's an alternative to elimination and… - Raoul could have continued talking about his work for hours, but Guy interrupted him annoyed.

\- OK stop! Listen to me ... I've heard enough. Sorry but I need a moment to breathe. - He ended the communication without warning.

Raoul was blown away. He couldn't understand what he might have said wrong to anger the human ... yet he had listened to him while talking about the black market, building projects and meetings with the gangs.

Again he was pervaded by that strong sense of uneasiness that had returned so frequently since his awakening in Iason's house. Panic seized him and his hands started to sweat. He tried to calm down by controlling his breathing but he was getting the opposite effect, going into hyperventilation. He would have to call Benson again to get a tranquilizer injected. His eyes began to become watery and shiny and his face turned red taking on a tormented expression.

Suddenly the communicator rang again. Raoul accepted instinctively, although rationally he wanted to ignore it. Guy appeared on the holoprojector.

\- Sorry - the young man said without even looking - I am really the last person in the world with the right to judge your work. I shouldn't have reacted like this. -

Then Guy looked up to see his Blondie so emotionally upset after less than 10 minutes from the previous conversation.

\- Hey bombon! - He said suddenly worried, - It's all my fault. I'm an idiot. I'm sorry. -

\- Don't ... don't do it again. - Raoul said in a broken voice - Don't close the call like this again. Without saying goodbye. Without explanation! -

Guy was blown away. He had no idea that the Blondie was so fragile. - No love, I won't do it anymore. I promise you. I was wrong. -

Raoul nodded. Then he added - I had never felt this way before that day. I don't know what is happening to me. These feelings, this pain I feel are ... new. I can't control them. -

Guy understood. Raoul was in a state of extreme sensitivity at the time. - Hey, listen, I'll be more careful. I'll be gentle Okay? I won't make you sick again. Listen, are you already dressed to sleep? -

Raoul was surprised at the question. - Not yet - He answered.

\- Then get changed, - Guy said. - I will wait for you, then you will lie down on the bed and I will keep you company until you fall asleep. Do you want? -

Raoul didn't mind the idea.

\- Wait for me. - He said. He got up and changed out of the camera view, then stretched out on the bed - You won't lie down? - he asked.

\- Not yet. - replied the young man - Now close your eyes. I will remain here in silence and when you are asleep I will close the signal. -

\- All right. - Raoul did as directed. The awareness that Guy was watching him calmed him and soon his limbs relaxed and his breathing became regular.

Guy stayed a few minutes longer to observe that perfect and angelic face and wondered what he had done to deserve it. With a warm heart he turned off the communicator.


	30. Small gestures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moments of daily life between Guy and Raoul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Lambda 3000 summoned its trusted guards.

“Follow all Raoul's movements. Don't lose sight of him. I want to know all the places where he goes and how long he stays there."

The Artificial Intelligence had discovered from the tower's records that the Blondie, visibly affected by the scream marking, had been brought out of Eos by his furniture the day after the sentence. A few hours later the furniture had returned to the penthouse alone. Raoul had returned by his own means on the afternoon of the day when the sentence had ended in good health.

Jupiter had to investigate to find out who and how has violated its laws by relieving its son of the punishment.

***

Raoul untied the rubber band that tied Guy's hair. The young man was prone on the bed, collapsed after almost two hours of uninterrupted sex. Raoul actually wanted to continue, but when he realized that there would be no chance of convincing his lover he started studying that body in a comatose state.

"You have beautiful hair," he said, "almost as long as an Elite. If there were brown Elites, of course."

"Mmmh" Guy mumbled something incomprehensible through the pillow.

Raoul continued to study his body carefully. "You have many scars. This seems to be caused by a cutting weapon." He said touching the edges of a sign protruding on his side at the height of the kidneys.

"Mmmmh" Guy turned his head leaning sideways to speak "Indeed it is," he said finally "it happened during a clash with a rival gang."

"You could have seriously damaged your kidney in the upper part of the intestine." said the blondie with a hint of reproach.

"I'm a lucky asshole, I guess."

"And this?" Raoul then asked, touching a circular scar in his thigh.

“Motorcycle accident, an iron pole had crossed me from side to side but hadn't hit anything vital. The butcher who sewed me said that he had never seen anything like it. A millimeter higher or lower would have been enough and I would have screwed a tendon, an important artery or I don't know what else there is in those parts."

Raoul could have held a three-hour lecture on the anatomy of the human lower limb but decided to spare him from that explanation. He continued to carefully scan that thin, tanned body.

"And these? How did you make them?" He asked referring to a series of small circular signs on the homoplate.

“A punch with a glove nailed treacherously while I was from behind. Cursed coward!"

Raoul avoided commenting. He pushed Guy's body rolling him over on his back.

"This burn instead?" He asked touching a mark on the abdomen that looked like a strip of damaged skin.

"That was the Midas police with a damned Taser."

"Mmmh" Raoul puzzled. It was a miracle that this human was still alive.

Finally he placed his hand on the spot where his left arm should have started, and in his place was a large white spider-shaped scar. "Can you do it all?" He asked after a while.

"More or less," replied Guy yawning "I can do many things, almost all of them in reality but, for example, I just can't tie my shoes. I solved it using only shoes that slip or tear."

"I noticed it." The other replied.

“Then I have some difficulty when eating or cooking. I just can't use the knife. If I have something on the plate that needs to be cut, like a steak, I have to bite it. The same thing goes for cooking: I can't cut vegetables or anything else, so I throw them whole with peel and all or cut them roughly under pressure with the cleaver hoping they won't roll me away. If it's a soft vegetable like a tomato, I crush it with my hand. I also find it difficult to wash the dishes, they don't come very well because I can't keep them still while I clean them.

Once I really enjoyed cooking. When I lived with Riki I took care of these things and created fantastic dishes with the little we had available. Often it was food fished out of Midas' garbage. You don't know how much waste there is! They throw things that are practically fresh and intact, for us at Ceres it was like a large open-air supermarket.”

Raoul pursed his lips in disgust at the idea of cooking with food fished out of waste.

Guy continued. “But now I cook only the bare minimum and only for myself. I would never dream of offering someone else my poor dishes prepared in questionable ways."

"I see." Said the Blondie. He had just had an idea but decided that he would keep it to himself in order to surprise Guy.

“Hey Blondie, would you like to have a drink? I got a wine. It should be good, Riki advised me. He's one of those who also takes Iason!"

"You don't have to use your money to buy drinks for me." Raoul scolded him.

“Don't be tragic, I won't go broke for a bottle of wine. I'm making good money on the black market and I have much more than I need. Besides, I'm glad to have something to offer you, you don't look like a Stout guy."

"I'll accept the wine in this case."

"Well!"

Guy got out of bed and headed for the kitchen without bothering to cover his nakedness. Raoul admired that tall, lean, muscular and tapered body with a sun-burnt skin. The loose straight hair really gave him an Elite air. It was rare to see them like that, Guy always wore them tied. The young man returned shortly after with a tray with a bottle, bottle opener and two glasses.

“Opening the bottles of wine is another action that creates difficulties for me. Do you want to do it?"

"With pleasure."

Raoul took the bottle opener, inserted it into the cork, turning it all the way, and levered it to push it upwards. The bottle opened with a dry sound. He poured the clear liquid into the glasses and handed one to Guy, who took it and brought it to his mouth, emptying it almost in one sip.

"I see that the experience you had during that dinner where you kissed Iason didn't help you." Raoul said with a suddenly offended air “You can't gobble a wine as refined as if it were water, you have to sip it. And then I thought we had made a toast!"

Guy lowered his glass biting his lower lip.

"For the way I drink ... I can't help it. I don't like the idea of drinking in sips or turning the liquid in the glass as the rich do, I have despised those arrogant ways since childhood. You can obviously do it, it doesn't bother me anymore, but I'm used to drinking to fill my belly and sleep my brain, not as a pastime or to make a good impression in society. For the toast instead ... you're right. I'm an idiot. Again."

Raoul shrugged. Imitating the mongrel he emptied his jet glass.

"Quenching thirst" He finally said "But maybe I'll be able to make you taste the flavour." He brought his lips closer to those of Guy and when he opened his mouth he stuck his tongue still impregnated with that harsh and aromatic alcoholic taste. Guy enjoyed that flavor with a verse of appreciation.

When they finally separated, Guy put down the glass and with his hand he crossed the side of Raoul's face, brushing aside the long wavy tufts.

"You're gorgeous, don't get tired of me anytime soon."

Raoul looked offended again.

“And why would I ever tire of you? I'm not going to let you go. Are you used to picking up and giving up so easily in Ceres?” Raoul put his hand under the man's chin and approached him, staring into his wild coffee-colored eyes. "You'll be mine forever, Guy, it's better if you start putting this idea on your head."

"As you wish, we'll see." He replied, moving away and half-smiling. Then he served two more glasses of wine.

When the bottle was almost finished the human smear behind Raoul hugging his back. None of them had yet worn clothes.

“Listen bombon, for me you can also spend the night here, but it's past midnight. Did Jupiter put a curfew on you or what?"

"I don't have a curfew." The thoughtful blondie replied “But I prefer not to draw too much attention to myself after the problems I've already had. Seeing me arrive early in the morning could arouse suspicion, Eos is full of spies."

"So go." The young man said to him, "I get dressed and accompany you to Katze's office."

***

A few days later Raoul returned to Midas with a big sachet in his hand and opened the security door with his magnetic card. Katze was sitting behind his usual desk.

"Good morning Katze." The Blondie said looking at him just as he continued on to his destination.

The ex-furniture looked at him thoughtfully. Finally he spoke aloud to be sure of being heard by the other who was already slipping away.

"Raoul, when are you thinking of telling Iason about your relationship with Guy?"

The Blondie stopped. He put the envelope on the ground and replied with disinterest. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Oh come on Raoul," Katze got to his feet and started to get closer "You have come six times in the past three weeks, but yesterday Iason asked me if I knew anything about you because he hasn't seen you since the day you return to Eos. It doesn't take long to make two and two."

Raoul sighed rolling his eyes "I'll talk to Iason."

"Okay," Katze picked up the bag to give it back to the Blondie. "Anyway I wanted to tell you that I see you much better. You seemed troubled after the Jupiter issue, but now you are yourself again. If Guy's company makes you feel good, you have no reason to keep it secret from your friends. They are the others you need to be careful of. You know who I mean."

"I have everything under control Katze, there's no reason to worry."

"Ok. If you need I'm here."

Raoul nodded. He picked up his luggage and went on. When Guy opened the door for him, Raoul said goodbye and headed straight for the kitchen.

"What did you bring?" asked the young man curiously.

"I'll show you," replied the Blondie "But now step aside and let me work."

Raoul pulled out two boxes containing electronic devices. He mounted them, placed them strategically on the work surface and connected them to electricity.

"You can come and see." Finally said starting to show what he had installed.

"This is for peeling any type of fruit and vegetable." he said, pointing to the first appliance. "Just fix the vegetable by putting it this way ..."

He placed an eggplant to demonstrate.

“Then you have to turn on the machine by pushing this button. The vegetable will start spinning and the blade supplied will remove the peel."

Raoul activated the system and, effectively, while the eggplant turned a sharp blade, it peeled it perfectly forming a long spiral with the peel. Guy watched in amazement. Raoul went on with his explanations.

“This other appliance is for cutting. You must place the vegetable, fruit or piece of cheese in this tube. Then you have to select the type of cut: you can choose between large cubes, small cubes, thin slices, thick slices, julienne, sticks or mince. Finally you must press the start button and push the vegetable down using this accessory. The chopped vegetables will collect in this bowl."

Raoul inserted a zucchini, selected the small cubes option, brought the button to the On position and pressed the vegetable with the cone provided. Within seconds the bowl was filled with perfectly equal light green cubes. Guy could not believe his eyes, tried to say something but Raoul interrupted him.

“Both appliances are self-cleaning, have a special function that removes residues and sanitizes them. I also brought this ..."

Raoul took a round transparent object out of the envelope.

“Actually, I had it built for you. It's a double sided suction cup. You have to make it adhere well to the bottom of the sink, then you place the pot or the dish you have to wash on it, like this ... "

Raoul started the practical demonstration by making the suction cup adhere to the metal surface of the sink basin, then he took a dirty pot and pressed it until it remained attached, finally he took a soapy sponge and with one hand he rubbed the inside of the pot removing all the dirt. Thanks to the suction cup, the pot remained still and there was no need for a second hand to hold it. Finally he turned on the tap and rinsed it.

"To detach the pot, just insert a finger underneath to remove the vacuum."

Guy was completely speechless. Again he tried to say something, but Raoul wasn't finished yet.

"Wait, I have one last item to show you."

The Blondie opened Guy's closet and, looking carefully at the bottom, he found a pair of shoes with laces that the man no longer wore. He sat down and patiently removed both laces and replaced them with a special type of lanyard he had brought. Then he knotted it to close them.

"These laces are elastic," he explained finally “once fixed, you can put on and take off your foot without having to undo them. I brought you several so we can put them in all the shoes you can't wear anymore."

Guy sat on the bed with his hand pressed to his mouth. Unable to hold back them, a few tears began to run down his face.

"What's wrong with you now?" asked the surprised Blondie "Did I say something wrong?"

Guy took the Blondie's hand and moved it to his wet cheek.

"Raoul, this is the most fucking beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me."

Filling him with kisses he guided him to the bed and started to undress.

***

"High Jupiter"

Guardian androids bowed in the presence of their creator.

“We followed Lord Am's movements for 30 days. He went 9 times, always in the evening, to the same unregistered address of Midas, staying inside the building for several hours. The coordinates of the place were sent to you electronically."

“Good job children. Take Raoul's furniture, it's time to interrogate him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is somewhat autobiographical. Ten years ago I broke my right hand and had to wear plaster for many months. I lived alone and the things I did with more difficulty were the same as Guy's.


	31. The willpower of the furnitures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A blondie and two furnitures become victims of Jupiter's law

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

When Raoul returned home at 6 pm, after spending the whole day in the clinic, he didn't find Benson to welcome him.

Despite the strangeness of the situation he decided not to give it much importance, his furniture had always been punctual and loyal in his duties therefore a delay or an unexpected exit were more than tolerable.

Nevertheless, when it was 7:30 pm and the boy hadn't yet returned, he began to worry that something might have happened to him. He called Louis, who was the chief furniture manager of Eos, asking if Benson was in the common rooms or entertained in any affair that had to do with their category.

Louis was unaware of any matter that could legitimize the boy's absence. He asked Lord Am if a disciplinary action had to be taken to correct the unjustified delay but Raoul wasn't interested.

At 8:00 pm someone rang the doorbell.

If it had been Benson he wouldn't have had to announce himself as he had the identification codes to enter and exit the penthouse independently. Raoul opened and found two Jupiter guardians in front of him.

"We have come to bring your property back, Lord Am"

One of them carried the unconscious and pitiful boy on his shoulder. He was naked from the waist up and his back was a cluster of torn flesh dripping with fresh blood. The Blondie took over that inert body, not even knowing how to support it without causing him further harm. Immediately he felt himself seething with anger.

"Why? Who authorized such treatment?" He asked with fiery eyes and clenched teeth.

“Your furniture has been interrogated and punished for violating Jupiter's laws. The disciplinary measure was requested by Jupiter itself."

“Punished for what violation? Questioned about what?" Asked the angry Blondie.

"We are not allowed to disclose this information."

The guards of Jupiter took their leave and went coldly away.

Raoul had many unanswered questions, but first of all he had to deal with Benson. He laid him on his stomach on the sofa without worrying that the blood would dirty the upholstery, went to the laboratory (which also served as a doctor's office) and opened the surgical table. He covered it with sterile sheets and laid the boy in a prone position.

First he sedated him to prevent him from waking up and gave him a strong antibiotic. Then he started washing his back with plenty of saline solution.

The boy was a mess. His skin had been completely ripped off, the flesh torn and the ribs and vertebrae below were visible in various places. Raoul was an expert in medicine and this prevented him from being stunned by the nausea in front of such a scene.

How many lashes had been given to him? 25? 30? 40? Impossible to say for sure. Benson was recognized as one of Eos' milder and kindhearted furniture and was very attentive to his duties, he had never had a recall or a warning.

Raoul couldn't understand what could have pushed Jupiter to punish him so brutally, not to mention the fact that the Artificial Intelligence generally didn't deal with those who it considered inferior beings, all its attention was focused only on the Elites. The punishments to furnitures and pets, when necessary, were given directly by their Masters or by the head of the category, Louis, in this case.

Raoul was too shaken at the moment to think clearly. Patiently he applied an antiseptic and closed the deeper lacerations with stitches. The flesh was torn so irregularly that it was difficult to do a decent work.

Eventually, after many hours, the Blondie ended. At the moment it wasn't possible to do anything better. To apply the special healing ointment he would have to wait a few days because there was a need for a minimum of scar tissue that was currently non-existent.

He took a bag of blood of the same type as that of Benson, previously brought to temperature, and transfused it into the young man's body. Then he replaced it with a drip containing physiological and antibiotic and regulated the descent so that it lasted until the following morning.

He covered him with sterile gauze and bandages, administered another dose of sedative and lifted the boy to gently transport him to his bed, taking the IV pole along. He inserted the catheter cannula into his urethral orifice and fixed the bag to one side of the bed.

Only then he realized that he had missed the call with Guy, it was already 1 am. Tired from exhaustion and displeasure, he stripped off his bloody clothes, washed quickly and went to sleep. He would take care of his mongrel tomorrow.

***

The next morning Raoul first went to check on his patient, checked the temperature and pressure and both were lower than normal.

Although on the one hand it was a good sign because it discarded the possibility of an infection, on the other it highlighted his weakness and the fact that had lost large quantities of blood. He transfused another blood bag strengthening it with an additional dose of iron and vitamins.

He decided that he would keep the boy asleep for at least another 24 hours, there was no reason to make him feel the excruciating pain he would have felt if woke up now. Not after what he must have gone through.

Raoul urgently needed answers. He took his communicator and called the clinic. Julius, the secretary's furniture, answered.

\- Jupiter Tower clinic. How can I help you? -

\- Julius? I'm Raoul. -

\- Lord Am tell me, I'm at your service. -

\- Warn that I'll not come today and I urgently need a nurse in my apartment. Send me the first available. -

Without waiting for an answer, the Blondie closed the communication.

About half an hour later the nurse arrived. Raoul left him to take care of Benson and headed for the Jupiter Tower to speak with his Creator. It was 9 am.

To his surprise and regret, however, once he reached his destination, Jupiter did not accept the request for an audience. It was the first time that Raoul was openly rejected by the Artificial Intelligence.

Back in the penthouse he tried to call Guy but got no answer. Raoul was expecting it because at that hour the young man was hardly at home, he would try again later.

***

On the morning of that same day, at 9, Katze left his offices for a meeting with a supplier. Before he managed to get into his vehicle, however, he was intercepted by a team of Jupiter guards.

"Mr. Katze?" One of them asked.

"Yes I am." replied the black market boss.

"Mr. Katze, we must take you into custody by Order of Jupiter."

"What am I accused of?" Asked the man, trying to maintain a modicum of lucidity.

“We are not allowed to provide this notion. You'll be informed in due course."

The ex-furniture was pushed abruptly against the vehicle, forced to raise his arms and legs and searched. They confiscated his weapons, his wallet with credits, badges and identity documents, and the communicators.

'At least I don't have the special communicator with invisible waves to Jupiter with me' thought the man looking for a positive side to that unpleasant and unexpected situation.

He was loaded onto an aircraft where they proceeded to search him deeper. He was ordered to remove all his clothing. Then they made him bend forward with his hands resting on the wall of the aircraft and, wearing a surgical glove, one of the androids checked for microphones or nanotechnological weapons hidden in his anal orifice.

Katze moaned from the pain of the invasion and the discomfort of being touched so intimately.

"You're a furniture" The droid affirmed as he removed the glove, at the sight of the evident genital mutilation of the eunuch "Jupiter had not informed us." He added.

"Ex-furniture." Katze pointed out trying to maintain some dignity. He was still standing and completely naked.

"Clothe yourself." Authorized the guard. The vehicle drove off.

The journey lasted about half an hour, during which Katze sat on the floor thinking about the reasons for his arrest. He hoped it was for a question related to the black market, perhaps the revenge of some discontented buyer. He longed for Jupiter not to have found out about Iason.

When Katze got out of the vehicle, he recognized the parking lots of the Jupiter Tower. They went up with an elevator to the 34th floor, where the guards' headquarters was located. He was led into a bare and gray room, devoid of any furniture, with chains and handcuffs hanging from the walls and ceiling and various types of whips and other corrective tools hung everywhere.

Katze shivered. He would hardly have come out unscathed this time.

An imposing Onyx Elìte soon joined them. It was Saurus Finn, the famous and ruthless leader of Jupiter's guards, Katze knew him by fame.

"Who do we have here?" Saurus stated with a sadistic note in the voice "Katze. The dark boss of the Midas black market. Iason Mink ex-furniture's. Am I right?"

Katze didn't answer.

“We'll spend some time together, you and me, so we'll have the opportunity to loosen your tongue. We could start by giving some symmetry to your face with a nice scar on the other cheek. What do you say, Katze?"

The Onyx touched the man's face in a slow and perverse way. Katze tried not to fall into the intimidating game.

"What am I accused of?" he asked in a firm voice.

“You'll know everything in due course, furniture, in the meantime we'll try to make you comfortable. Start by stripping yourself of your clothes. Everything except underwear."

Katze did as indicated, relieved that he could at least keep his underpants. That room was incredibly cold, which was certainly wanted since the Jupiter Tower was fully air conditioned.

They set restrains on his wrists with chains that were hooked to the ceiling. Then they pulled the chains upward and Katze had to stand on tiptoe. The guards left the room and left him there, hanging by the wrists from the ceiling with only the metatarsals resting on the ground. Katze didn't know how long he would be able to hold out in that painful position.

***

Around 3 pm Raoul received a call on his special communicator. He read the sender: Katze.

\- Katze! - He exclaimed immediately after accepting the contact.

Riki was on the holoprojector instead of the handsome auburn haired trader.

\- Raoul is me. Sorry if I bother you but ... Katze is gone. I had an appointment with him for lunch and he didn't show up. I'm afraid something might have happened to him. Guy told me he tried to call you last night and couldn't communicate so I thought you both might be in some trouble. But I see that you are fine so ... I'll wait a little longer. Maybe Katze is just late. -

As he listened to Riki's words, Raoul's circuits began to connect the various events. Benson's interrogation. Jupiter. Katze's disappearance. These things were connected.

\- Riki I have a theory. Maybe I know what happened to Katze. I will investigate. I'll call you back later. -

\- Okay. Watch out. - The mongrel replied.

As soon as he closed the communication, Raoul informed the nurse that he would be absent again, fortunately he hadn't yet dismissed him, and immediately left for the Jupiter Tower again. Unexpectedly his audience with the Creator was accepted. Raoul entered the familiar dome and Lambda 3000 materialized in front of him. Raoul knelt.

“Welcome son. I hope my refusal this morning hasn't saddened you, I was not yet ready to receive you."

Raoul was alarmed.

“Supreme Jupiter. Yesterday my furniture was taken from the apartment and subjected to a disciplinary session on your order. I was not informed of the reason for the punishment or the subject of the interrogation to which he was subjected. I'm looking for answers."

"I’ll tell you right now, Raoul," the Artificial Intelligence raised its vibrant voice "I have come to know that your punishment has been alleviated by someone. Your furniture has been disciplined for helping to complete this violation. We know he was the one who led you out of Eos to the place where you got comfort. We had to question him to confess the name of the person who took charge of you."

The reverberating hum filled the room.

“I have to admit that your furniture has been unexpectedly tenacious. My guards had bet that he wouldn't have resisted beyond the 7th lash, instead they managed to make him confess only to the 34th. Three times he lost consciousness and they had to wake him up with an adrenaline rush."

Raoul began to appear visibly troubled. Jupiter approached the Blondie touching his face with his hand of pure energy.

“Don't be afraid son, you are not a target of my anger. I know you had no control over what was being done to you during the scream marking nor could you object to those who attempted to lift your pains. But your fault lies in the fact that you lied to me. Your punishment will be to witness the interrogation of the human who violated my law."

"Katze ... where is he?" Finally asked Raoul in a faint voice.

A holographic image appeared in the center of the room.

There was Katze hanging from the ceiling by the wrists. He was half naked, dressed only in his underpants. His lips were blue. His hands white and bloodless. A cloud of condensed air escaped from his lungs. His body in spasms and tremors. Eyes closed and tears streaming down his face distorted by suffering. Raoul approached the projection to get a better view.

"His shoulders and wrists are displaced! How long has he been in that position?"

“About 6 hours, son. We were waiting for your arrival to begin the interrogation."

The Blondie was appalled.

"Please Creator, get him released!"

“This is not a possibility. The human will be questioned to reveal the way he has managed to alleviate your suffering."

"He won't confess!" pleaded the Blondie "That man will be killed before he betrays me. Please let me confess in his place!"

The hum of AI thoughts filled the room. The blue light flashed irregularly.

“I'll allow you to confess in place of the human, Raoul. Let's start now."

Raoul confessed how he had long had a sentimental interest in that human, how Katze had managed to lift him from the suffering of Jupiter's scream by awakening his organic brain and dozing the artificial one through sexual drives. He confessed to still have an emotional / carnal relationship and to be in love with him.

Lambda 3000 listened carefully. Then it reworked the data and spoke.

“I had granted Iason this kind of weakness and this led him to destruction. I can't let that the same happen to you too, son. The human who led your spirit astray and turned you away from me must be eliminated."

Raoul prostrated himself by lying completely on the floor.

“Supreme Jupiter I implore you. Save his life! I'll submit to any of your decisions if you agree to forgive him."

The Artificial Intelligence elaborated, and finally issued its sentence.

“Raoul Am. I agree that the life of the human named Katze is spared.

He will serve as type-D furniture in Eos, with an absolute ban on leaving the tower. His identification number will be D-2436 and he will be provided with a special tag that can only be removed by me.

As payment for the life of the human being you will be relieved of all your assignments and segregated in Eos indefinitely. You can move freely around the tower but you cannot leave it. The only exception will be to be summoned to the hearing by me. You will not be able to have any kind of contact with the D-2436 furniture.

The D-2436's tag will be equipped with an elimination system which, if activated, will immediately release a dose of lethal poison into his body. The system will be activated in the following cases:

\- If D-2436 attempts to leave Eos Tower

\- If you, Raoul, try to leave Eos Tower

\- If you have any kind of vocal or physical contact with each other

Raoul Am, do you accept these conditions?”

"I accept."

"Very well. I'll give orders to release the human from his chains and provide for his health. You can go, Raoul."

The materialized image of Jupiter vanished as did Katze's holoprojection. The room suddenly became dark and silent. Raoul rose from the ground and, with a broken soul, headed for the exit.

***

Katze didn't know how long he had been there. He had gone through various stages of annoyance and pain but now he had reached a kind of balance. Like a trance.

He was on a cloud and concentrated only on the slowness of breathing and the beating of his heart. The unbearable pain in his arms and torso was gone, as was the feeling of cold. Ever since the joints of his shoulders and wrists had dislocated, he had been able to put his heels down and this had given him a minimum of relief.

With ecstatic concentration he slowly and regularly transferred the weight of the body from one foot to the other in order not to atrophy the muscles of the legs, otherwise the whole load would have gone to the sprained shoulders and most likely would have broken.

He was aware that was in severe hypothermia because of the tremors of his body and lips, but it didn't create him more discomfort. His mind had managed to create a barrier from pain.

He knew had urinated on him because had felt the warm liquid slip down his legs, but he hadn't realized he had.

A muffled, pasty sound surrounded him. Like being immersed in water. Like being in the womb of the mongrel woman he had never known.

Suddenly the metallic sound of the door opening awakened him slightly from the numbness. He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids felt too heavy.

Someone was beside him, he could feel the warmth. In an instant the metal rings on his wrists opened and he thumped to the ground. The pain returned like lightning, devastating and intense. The numbness vanished and his eyes snapped open.

He saw a hand with a syringe. A burning liquid was injected directly onto his neck.

Then nothing more. His five senses went out and Katze fell asleep.


	32. Prisoners in Eos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of Raoul and Katze after Jupiter's ruling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Raoul spoke to Iason that evening and explained him the situation in detail. He did it in a cold and detached way and hurried to turn off the communicator immediately after. At 9 pm, when Guy tried to call him, he would find no signal.

He dismissed the nurse saying that would no longer need his services. Then he entered the room where the boy was resting. His face, surrounded by short forest green hair, looked relaxed.

He was sleeping prone with his face turned to the side, was still under the effects of the sedative but the next day he would wake up. It wouldn't have been advisable to extend beyond that induced sleep. Raoul sat next to his bed and placed his hand on the boy's head in a comforting way, massaging his scalp.

He thought about Katze. He wished that he had been there, on that bed, to cure him with the best Tanagura techniques and comfort him. Tell him not to worry because he would solve everything.

But there was nothing he could do for him. He didn't know where Katze had been brought or if Jupiter had kept its promise to release him from the chains and grace his life. If someone really was tending to his wounds and if he had someone close. Surely nobody was comforting the red-haired man.

Raoul had never felt so helpless. Emptied. The sight of the half-naked man freezing and hanging from hours, with sprained joints and suffering, tormented him.

He could only trust the word of Jupiter ... and surely there was no one that Raoul despised more at that moment.

His concentration returned to the sleeping boy next to him. The Blondie understood that, although he could have done nothing but hope for Katze, Benson could be helped. He would focus his energies on him because at the moment it was the only thing he could do to feel useful.

***

Katze opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying on a bed in a small, windowless room. The light was dim, there were few essential and anonymous furnitures: a small wardrobe, a bedside table and a chair. He was alone. The latest events came back to his mind with terror.

When he moved his arms he felt intense pain but that didn't prevent him from sitting up. He saw that his body was wrapped in rigid bandages that limited the movements of his arms and wrists but this was not what impressed him. What caught his attention was the bracelet placed over the bandages in his right wrist: a tag for furnitures. He was a furniture again! Katze began to breathe heavily in panic.

What was happening was illogical and to make matters worse, no one had explained to him the reason for his detention.

He was wearing only a pair of briefs, clean, not the ones he had arrived with. The blankets were warm, they looked like the electronically heated thermal ones. They had probably been used to counteract hypothermia. He felt clean, as if he had just come out of the bathtub.

As usual, he put his hand on the face to brush his hair from eyes ... but with horror he found it already clear. The long coppery tufts were gone. His hair had been cut short. His scar was exposed!

Since there were no windows, he had no idea what time it was, or whether it was night or day.

Then the door to the room opened. The man who entered was a middle-aged gray-haired furniture. Probably about 50 years old. He looked at Katze calmly and sat down on the chair next to the bed.

He was dressed in a black Eos furniture uniform. A single furniture throughout Eos could wear a black uniform, the chief manager.

"You must feel confused," said the man. "I am Louis. Your name is Katze, right? "

Katze nodded his head.

“You were brought here from Jupiter's tower last night. You are in Eos and it's 8 in the morning. You were sentenced to serve as type-D furniture at Eos Tower. I know you have been a furniture in the past so you will know what it means."

Katze nodded again.

In Eos there were four classes of furnitures.

Those of type-A, the highest, served Blondies and Platinum elites in their apartments.

Type-B furnitures served minor Elites, that were Sapphires, Jades, Ruby and Onyx.

Type-C furnitures were not used in Elite homes because they hadn't been chosen by any of them. They took care of the maintenance of Eos Tower, Jupiter Tower and Parthea: common rooms occupied by the Elites, corridors, gardens, bars and restaurants for Elites, gyms, solariums, swimming pools etc. Type-C Furnitures also took care of cleaning the apartments of the lesser androids (the guards of Jupiter) at Jupiter Tower.

Type-D furnitures were the lowest scale. They were the ones that had been repudiated by their Masters and instead of being disposed of they carried out the most unpleasant tasks of Eos maintenance: cleaning of toilets, collection and disposal of waste, cleaning of ventilation ducts and pipes, common pet rooms and other tiring tasks.

"You were serving in a Blondie's house," continued Louis. "being a type-D furniture is quite different, I hope you are aware of it. Your identification code is D-2436, try to memorize it. You'll also find it written on your tag."

Katze spoke. He needed to know. "Why was I brought here? Why does Jupiter want me as a servant of Eos?"

“I don't know the details, Katze, but you have been accused of high treason. Something that has to do with Lord Am." Louis said, "I have to tell you that you have some restrictions. The guards of Jupiter have instructed me to advise you that you cannot, under any circumstances, leave the Eos Tower, you cannot have any kind of physical or verbal contact with Lord Am and you cannot attempt to remove your tag or take your own life. If you violate only one of these bans, Lord Am will immediately be indefinitely marked with the scream of Jupiter."

"I understand" Katze smiled hysterically. So he wasn't even allowed to try to escape or take his own life.

"I'm responsible for you and all of Eos' furnitures." Louis resumed the word "Since you have just arrived I will guide you on the performance of your duties and the rules to follow. Make sure you always keep a clean and tidy look: short hair, short nails, straightened uniform. Carefully take care of your hygiene.

You'll have to obey without objection to any order that will be given to you by an Elite, a guard, a higher grade furniture or a pet. Whatever it is. Pets are particularly presumptuous and capricious but remember that you don't have the right to respond or counterattack them, even if you are insulted or mistreated. You'll always have to keep your head down and a humble attitude.

You'll adress Elites with the title of Lord, guards, pets and higher furnitures with the title of Sir. You'll only be able to speak if asked first and you'll have to bow every time you enter and leave a room. If you make mistakes in the performance of your duties or violate any rule you'll be subjected to discipline and I'll be the one who will administer it. I don't use a whip, unless it is an extremely serious situation. The tool used for punishment is usually a strap or a birch stick that leaves no permanent marks. But I hope you don't need to.

The alarm clock is at 5am. Every morning at 5:30 you will go to my office for the distribution of the duties of the day. The working day starts at 6 am.

There is a common room dedicated only to type-D furniture. There you will have your meals and you can relax and socialize with your colleagues when you have finished all your duties. Breakfast is at 5:45am, lunch at 12am and dinner at 8pm. From 10pm to 5am you'll have to stay in your room.

Given your precarious health condition, you'll be released from work for the first week. A nurse will come once a day to inject drugs into your damaged joints. To facilitate healing you'll need to limit your movements to a minimum. Do you have any questions, Katze?”

The black market boss felt empty.

"Yes ... can I communicate with the outside world? Or ... smoke a cigarette?"

“I'm afraid not, for both issues. Other questions?"

"No. Everything is clear."

Louis left the room.

Katze took his head in hands. Beaten. It would be difficult to get out this time.

***

Raoul Am left his bedroom and entered the living room, it was 9 in the morning.

He looked around: the house was a disaster. The sofa was stained with dried blood and various splashes also stained the floor and walls. The lab was completely messy and the bathroom floor was full of water. The sheets and towels had to be changed, not to mention that nobody had prepared breakfast or dinner the night before.

He took the communicator. - Louis? Speak Lord Am. -

\- Good morning Lord Am. How can I help you? -

\- I need a temporary furniture. He will have to serve here for at least a month, Benson is unwell. -

\- Do you already have someone in mind, Lord Am? -

\- Actually no. -

\- Any particular requests? -

\- Someone efficient and discreet. He'll have to keep the penthouse tidy, prepare meals, take care of the laundry and little else. -

Raoul suddenly remembered Jupiter's words and the fact that Katze would become a type-D furniture. The Blondie had never considered them as being the lowest human scale in Eos, but suddenly he felt sympathy for them.

"Louis? Send me one of category D."

"Your request amazes me, Lord Am, but I'll immediately fulfill it."

Raoul ended the call and went to Benson’s room. The boy was awake and looking at the wall of the room. The Blondie sat down next to him.

“Good morning Benson. Can you speak?"

Benson had an expression of pure terror on his face. He opened his mouth and made a sound. His voice was high and raspy. He had probably shouted enough to damage his vocal cords.

"I'll bring you a throat syrup and a glass of water." The Blondie said standing up.

"M ... master," croaked the boy. "I revealed the name of ... Katze. I'm sorry." The young man began to sob silently but tears fell from his eyes.

Raoul handed him a handkerchief to allow the boy to wipe himself.

“I know Benson, try not to think about it. There was nothing you could do. You've held out too long. You've seriously endangered your life. "

The young man took the handkerchief and wiped his face without moving his body.

"What happened to Katze?" He asked.

“You don't have to worry about this Benson. Just know that Katze is alive."

The young man nodded.

"Now listen to me. You are hurt very badly. You absolutely must not move or you'll bleed again. I'll provide for your needs so you'll have to tell me what they are. Later I'll medicate you and, I won't lie to you, you'll feel a little pain but you'll be under the effect of painkillers so it will be tolerable."

"Master Am I don't want to be a burden on you."

“In this case it would be better if you always tell me what you need so you'll relieve my work by avoiding the effort of guessing. Would you like that water and a syrup now to reduce the pain in your vocal cords?"

"Yes Master."

Ten minutes later the doorbell rang. Raoul opened and found himself in front of a thin boy with short brown hair. His eyes were casted down onto the floor. He had a small suitcase in his hand and was wearing the orange uniform of type-D furnitures. The boy hurriedly bowed. He was visibly frightened.

"Does Louis send you?" Asked the Blondie.

"Yes Lord Am." He replied without looking up

"Your name?"

"D-5041."

"Do you have another name or will I have to call you with your identification code?"

"My name is Daniel, Lord Am."

"Very well. Come on." The boy entered fearfully. Always directing his gaze to the ground.

“I guess Louis instructed you, Daniel, you will be my furniture for a month. You will mainly deal with the maintenance of the apartment, laundry and preparation of meals, but I may also need you for help in managing my official furniture who is currently severely unwell and in need of assistance. Everything is clear?"

"Yes Lord Am."

"Well. Now follow me. I'll show you the kitchen and the place where we keep the cleaning products. Then you can independently take a tour of the penthouse to orient yourself.

First you will prepare a breakfast for me, for yourself and something light for my furniture called Benson. There's a room next to the kitchen where you can have your meals. Afterwards you'll have to take care of cleaning the sofa and the living room. If the stains on the sofa couldn't be cleaned, just let me know and I'll call an upholsterer.

You can choose any of the free rooms for you and store your things there. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, Daniel.”

The boy was relieved that the Blondie was so precise and clear in his requests. It helped him feel less inadequate. Louis was also very meticulous when assigning duties to them.

"No question, Lord Am."

Raoul helped Benson to eat bringing tea to his mouth with a spoon and supporting the saucer with the toast. At the end of the meal the boy seemed unwell.

"Do you have something that disturbs you?" Asked the blondie

"Er ... actually yes Master. I need to use ... the loo ..."

"You have a catheter for the fulfillment of your needs."

"... no, it's another type of ... need."

"I see." Raoul was extremely schematic and professional. “In this case I will place you a diaper. When you are finished you will notify me and I will remove it and clean up your body."

Benson suddenly turned white. He could not allow his Master to do such a thing. Raoul caught his unease.

"Maybe you'd prefer me to ask Daniel to assist you?"

"Yes please!" The Blondie smiled at the excitement of that last sentence.

He went to call the furniture explaining what he should have done. Daniel nodded, retrieved the diaper and a basin with a cloth and headed for Benson's room.

"Sir Benson." He said when he approached the bed. “I've come to assist you. Now I'll remove the sheet that covers you."

"All right," replied the other, a little surprised. Nobody had ever called him 'Sir'.

Daniel pushed the sheet aside. Benson was naked under it, dressed only in his bandages. Carefully he turned him a little on his side and placed the diaper. Then he walked away avoiding looking to give him the necessary privacy.

After a few minutes Benson spoke. "I think that ... I'm done ..."

Daniel came back. He removed the diaper making sure that all the contents remained inside and proceeded to carefully clean the boy's body with a damp cloth. Finally he helped Benson to return to his prone position and covered him with the sheet.

Daniel sensed, judging by the extent of the bandage covering and the bloodstains that filtered in some places, that the furniture had been whipped wildly. He wondered what could have done so badly as to justify such treatment and if it was Lord Am himself who had punished him.

“Thanks Daniel, I feel better. I'm sorry you had to do it ... "

Daniel bowed, still keeping his eyes down. "It’s my duty. Do you need anything else, Sir Benson?"

"No thanks. You can go ..."

The furniture left the room and soon after Raoul returned with the dressing kit. He put on a pair of surgical gloves and proceeded to thoroughly wet the bandage with physiological solution. He cut it with a pair of scissors to remove it and did the same with the gauze wraps, gently pulling them away from the clotted blood.

The Blondie shook his head at the sight of Benson's bare back: it would take a long time to heal and despite the ointments it would be inevitable that he would have obvious scars. He wiped clean with gauze soaked in antiseptic. The boy shouted from the burning. At every cry he apologized but he just couldn't keep his voice. Raoul didn't pay much attention to him and went on until he thoroughly disinfected each area. Then he covered with sterile gauze wraps and a new bandage.

He checked his vital signs, which were good, and injected a dose of pain reliever and antibiotic directly into the IV tube.

"Benson, chances are you won't be able to get out of bed for a while," the Blondie declared when he was done. "Maybe a couple of weeks. I'll have to make you do passive gymnastics and massages to prevent the muscles of the legs and arms from atrophy."

"A ... all right" The young man suddenly answered very sadly in the awareness of having to remain in such a dependent state for all that time. He felt mortified. His duty was to satisfy his Master's needs, not the other way around. Raoul replaced the catheter bag and IV bottle and left the room. Shortly afterwards someone rang the doorbell.

Daniel was unsure of what to do, he hadn't been told if his duties included receiving visitors. Raoul made it easier for him. "Go see who he is, Daniel."

The boy opened the door and found himself facing the imposing figure of Orphe Zavi. The Blondie looked him up and down and then, without waiting to be announced, moved forward, forcing Daniel to step aside.

"Why is there a type-D furniture in your apartment, Raoul?" he asked, breaking into the hall unceremoniously.

Raoul sighed. He wasn't really in the mood to talk to Orphe.

“It is temporary. My furniture is ailing" He finally said casually.

“And wasn't there a better option to choose from? Isn't your reputation already compromised enough, brother?"

Raoul fought to stay calm. “That furniture is perfectly congruent for my needs. What do I owe pleasure to, Orphe?"

The Chief Operations Officer of Eos frowned in annoyance. “And do you have the courage to ask me Raoul? I sent you two urgent summonses: one yesterday evening and one this morning. You didn't show up at my office or deign to answer."

"It must have escaped me." replied the biochemist apathetically.

“If I were you I wouldn't do irony, Raoul. I don't know how the heck you got it mad this way but Jupiter gave orders not to let you out of Eos and to remove you from the board meetings. I had to clear your ID from the exit records. You cannot approach the entrance doors of Eos or the underground car parks. In practice you can only go around the common rooms and gardens. You have the same rights as a pet! At this point I'm surprised that Jupiter didn't put a pet ring around your neck!"

Orphe was serious, no sarcasm leaked from his words nor attempt to mock the other Blondie.

"I'm aware of it, Orphe, you don't need to remind me of the delicacy of my situation." finally said Raoul.

“Brother, our order has never been so weakened. Iason destroyed, Gideon fugitive, you dismissed. There are only 10 of us on the syndicate. It's the first time that such a situation has occurred."

“Maybe times are changing, Orphe. Maybe even our system needs to be changed." Suddenly the biochemist revealed.

“Have you gone crazy Raoul? Is this what you said to Jupiter? Is that why it withdrew your rights? The system cannot be changed!"

“Everything can change brother. Even Jupiter. We too. Maybe our brother Iason paved the way for change."

"Iason has been destroyed!" Orphe shouted angrily.

"Iason chose to self-destruct," corrected Raoul. "He traded centuries of synthetic and aseptic life for a few years of intensity and awareness of his soul. None of us can judge or blame him. None of us have the truth in our pockets."

The biochemist stared at Orphe with melancholy. The latter turned theatrically by twirling his cloak and walked with long steps towards the door from which he had entered.

“I hope you come to life, Raoul, I wouldn't want to see you finished or disowned like our brothers. Nor do I want your mind to be cleared. Come back to you, and maybe you'll get Jupiter's forgiveness. "

The powerful Blondie left the penthouse.

***

Riki, Iason, Guy and Gideon were seated at the large living room table.

The reason for the meeting was clear to everyone: Katze and Raoul were prisoners in Eos. Jupiter's toys.

There was only one way to free them: to continue with their assault plan.

It was time to make phase 3 operational, that is the conquest of Guardian.


	33. The conquest of Guardian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title says it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

The first month of military training had been very productive.

Rumors of the new commander's skills had spread across Ceres and, within few days, 500 recruits had become 1500.

In rotation the teams, led by their respective team leaders, trained in the correct use of weapons, hand-to-hand combat, assault techniques, military strategy, endurance and improvement of one's physical state.

Aylin/Neel proved to be particularly skilled with firearms and became a point of reference for the whole platoon: many came to him/her for advice and practice.

Creek had taken his role as kitchen manager very seriously and, despite some initial difficulties due to his lack of authority, he had gained self-confidence over the weeks and mongrels had started to respect and appreciate him.

Gideon never intruded on the issues of his pet and his furniture and, in public, he treated Creek and Aylin like any other soldier, although always with a little apprehension. His concerns were mainly addressed to the girl as he feared that she might get hurt, be discovered or mistreated.

Fortunately, however, Aylin had shown that she was able to defend herself, both physically and verbally. She was not intimidated by those who accused her of being too frail, of having too delicate features, too soft hair on the head or no hair on the body. She replied without fear and, if necessary, gave some well-aimed shots.

Secretly from Gideon, Sid was giving the girl self-defense lessons, teaching her to exploit her assets and use the technique where strength did not come. In this way, Aylin had learned to overcome clearly stronger opponents in combat because she knew exactly where to hit and how. She was also extremely agile and fast.

About 60 days after the training began, the board decided that they were ready to attack Guardian and, however, even if they weren't ready, they couldn't wait any longer. The new events involving the forced detention of Katze and Raoul required to speed up the times. A month had already passed went by since their confinement to Eos.

***

Guardian was an imposing steel and concrete fortress located south of Herbay and west of Ceres. It spanned over hundreds of kilometers. In fact, its extension almost equaled that of the slum itself.

The great fortress separated Ceres from Dana Burn and the Amoian desert, which was uninhabited, and housed all the children of Ceres and most of the mongrel women. In addition, there lived many tutors, teachers and scientists who carried out secret experiments in the basements.

Guardian did not have a real army because it had never been attacked. The problem was the protective shields. When they were raised, a three meter thick steel dome was created that surrounded and covered the entire structure.

It was impossible to take it down so they would have to play on the surprise effect, that means to enter a reconnaissance group in secret at a time when the protective shields were lowered, to infiltrate their security systems and to hack from the inner terminal the mechanism that allows to raise the dome so the army could access undisturbed.

Once inside, a group of 1000 well-trained soldiers would have no problem knocking out the guards who, from the data in their possession, were less than a hundred. Gideon had decided not to use all their forces in this attack but to leave a platoon of 500 soldiers in defense of Ceres.

They had detailed Guardian maps and a Blondie who knew all its secrets: Iason. Now all that was needed was someone able to get into their terminal system and damage it quickly and accurately and the most suitable to do it was Riki who, thanks to his experiences on the black market, had acquired remarkable computer skills.

The young man had long been trying to convince Iason to let him take part in this mission but the Blondie kept his position repeating a firm no because he didn't want to risk his life. The capture of Katze, however, convinced him definitively that his mongrel was the only one currently able to perform this task. They didn't have time to look for someone else.

Therefore the assault team would be composed of Riki, Sid, Norris, Luke, Maxi and, surprisingly, Aylin. The girl would have the task of distracting the guardians at the entrance so that the others could hack the computer system without anyone ringing the alarm.

Gideon was strongly opposed to allowing his pet to participate in such a dangerous mission but somehow they managed to convince him that, in reality, the role of Aylin had nothing dangerous.

She would have to approach the doors dressed in women's clothes and report that she ran away from Ceres and seek protection. Then she would have to fake an illness and, while the guardians would be busy rescuing her, the others would go unnoticed. Shortly thereafter Maxi would arrive, apparently drunk and with a violent attitude, pretending to be Aylin's companion and demanding his woman to go home immediately. The upheaval caused by the embarrassing situation would have provided the infiltrated men the necessary time to tamper with the computer system.

***

On the day of the attack, the entire army was crouched behind the hill between Ceres and Guardian. They chose to attack at night so that visibility would be reduced and most Guardian residents defenseless and asleep.

The reconnaissance group had gathered elsewhere on the hill and Gideon was with them for the latest recommendations.

“As soon as the system that raises the shields is out of order you'll have to send me a signal with this transmitter. It will be the warning for us to attack." The Onyx/Blondie handed the device to Sid. “Riki, you'll have little time, every minute is precious. The longer it takes to hack the system, the higher the chances of getting caught or something happening to Aylin and Maxi."

"I know Gideon, trust me." The mongrel, apparently fearless, replied.

All had been equipped with special weapons: exceptionally small laser guns that were hidden under clothing.

Aylin wore disused female clothes, little more than rags, while Maxi (who had been informed of Riki's return from the realm of the dead only a few days earlier) wore his usual oil-stained mechanic's clothes.

Sid, Norris and Luke were supposed to protect Riki while tampering with the system: they had to look over his shoulder and silently and discreetly knock out anyone who approached him. All wore a faithful reproduction of Guardian's uniforms.

Gideon gave Aylin a final accomplice glimps that meant 'be careful'. The girl came out of the hiding place and started running towards the Guardian entrance. She was immediately followed by the former members of Bison, and finally it was Maxi's turn.

Gideon returned to command of the army with the receiver held in his hand waiting for the signal to attack.

***

Early in the morning of the next day Katze was washing the floor of the corridors on the level he had been assegned. Eos tower was very quiet because pets and most Elites still slept.

He was doing his job apathetically and mechanically. With his head down as ordered, he didn't want any problems.

He perceived the contemptuous looks of those who passed him by, and this only when he was lucky enough to have someone looking at him, because most of the inhabitants of Eos acted as if Katze was invisible, going to bump into him without deviating their path and sometimes making him fall to the ground pouring dirty water.

That orange uniform had the power to totally depersonalize an individual. To cancel and make him devoid of value and identity.

Katze had always believed that being a furniture was the lowest step in society: men no longer men, asexual beings who lived according to the family they served. But he was wrong. That orange uniform was the lowest step.

And for Katze it was even more difficult than for the others.

The others D-type furniture in fact wore their own submission mask for the entire period in which they were in service but then, however, when they returned to their pavilion, became human beings again, socializing with each other in the common room.

Not Katze. His numb and withered heart prevented him from trying to socialize. When some of the other furnitures addressed him he replied in monosyllables and closed in on himself. As soon as he finished eating he returned to his quarters.

Suddenly, in all the halls of the tower, a high-pitched sound that diverted Katze from his thoughts was heard and a holographic projection appeared with a special news:

\- Guardian has been invaded. An army of over 1000 mongrels took control of the fortress at night, raised the protective dome and locked themselves inside. The attack happened at lightning speed and had been completely unexpected. Due to a technical failure, the guards were unable to raise their shields in time and were in excessive numerical minority to defend themselves. There is no news of Guardian residents, no one has come out of it. The mysterious Galan tycoon Minosi Kan is suspected behind the attack. -

The only image projected was that of Guardian with the protective dome raised.

In Eos the silence immediately turned into a buzz. Everyone started talking about it: the furnitures, the guards and the few Elites present.

Katze was suddenly shaken by something like an emotion. He had to lean against the wall to stand up: Iason had made it.

A hint of hope took shape in his heart which had remained in the shadows during those past four weeks.

***

Inside the top floor apartment of the Eos Tower Raoul listened to the unbelieving news. He took his communicator, the special one that had been turned off since the beginning of his confinement, and locked himself in his study where he pressed the outgoing call button with Guy's coordinates.

After a few rings the mongrel answered. The two looked at each other for a minute without anyone speaking. Then Guy smiled.

\- Have you heard? We have conquered Guardian! -

Raoul only nodded. The whirlwind of emotions inside him struggled to get out but the mask inside which he had forced his face still resisted.

\- We'll get you out of there okay? Promise me you're not losing hope! -

The Blondie remained silent.

\- How are you? - asked the man after a while.

\- I'm fine - Raoul replied

\- Do you know anything ... about Katze? -

\- I never left my apartment. -

\- Ah ... if by chance you see him ... let us know if he is well. -

The Blondie nodded again. On his face an expression of ice.

\- I miss you ... - Guy said.

Raoul didn't reply and an imperceptible flash of sadness veiled his eyes but it wasn't enough to break his mask. The mongrel took strength and spoke with more energy.

\- We'll get you out of there, Raoul. It's a promise! Only it will take a bit of time. -

He raised the volume of his voice which became almost angry.

\- You must be strong Raoul! You must do it for Katze! Because you are not alone: you have us and you have Benson. Instead Katze is alone. And if you can't give him strength, nobody will do it, ok? It doesn't matter if you don't call me and if you don't feel like talking to me. It's okay if you don't want to talk to Iason either. Isolate yourself! Self-pity if you want! But you can't abandon Katze. He only has you! Take your responsibilities with him Raoul, you have to find a way! -

Raoul suddenly broke. He fought to maintain the coldness but the emotions began to come out in the form of a silent cry. Guy accompanied him from the other side of the projector until all four weeks of hidden anguish had finished pouring out. Finally the Blondie managed to regain control of himself and spoke.

\- I don't even know if Katze is alive. I couldn't help him. - he said in a broken voice. - He was before my eyes in agony and under torture and I did nothing! -

The Blondie hit the surface of the desk hard. From the sound of chipped wood something seemed to have shattered.

\- Katze is alive! - Guy answered - You have to believe it. We all have to believe it. Jupiter cannot have killed him because it needs that man to keep you in check! Look for him! I know you can't talk to Katze but you have to make him understand that we have not abandoned him and that you have not lost hope. You must give him strength even if you think you don't have it. You have to do it for yourself too because you cannot continue to torment yourself in this way. Ok? -

\- All right. - Finally answered the Blondie. - You ... wait for me ... -

\- Bombon I'll wait for you for as long as necessary. I have to invite you to dinner remember? You have to eat something prepared by me! -

Raoul smiled.

\- Call me when you're ready. - The mongrel ended.

The biochemist nodded, stared at the image for a few more seconds and closed the communication.

***

In Guardian, after the team-leaders had made sure that the children were all safe and well guarded, they brought all the staff together in a hall and explained to them that, in the coming days, they would be cataloged and sent to Ceres where they would receive a place to stay and tasks. They could not have left Ceres, not for the first few times at least, but they reassured that none of them were in danger unless they had unlawful precedents.

All but two people: Judd and Manon Kuger were the only real prisoners. Judd and Manon were father and son and the last descendants of the Kuger clan, the family that had ruled Guardian for generations and was responsible for most of the abuses perpetrated against children and the dark experiments that took place in the basements.

Women and children would also be sent to Ceres in appropriate structures and gradually reintegrated into society. The path would still be long still long.

Then the mongrels celebrated for two days in a row getting drunk on Stout.

Riki, unable to join the celebrations because he had not yet revealed his presence, remained closed in a room together with his companions of the reconnaissance group and celebrated in private.

Aylin decided to imitate the others and tried the Stout for the first time. After the first retching, she got used to the flavor and began to swallow the dark bitter liquid like a Ceresian native. After a while, however, she began to lose her clarity and staggered, clinging to Sid.

The man tried to make her lie down on the sofa but Aylin grabbed him with unintended strength to prevent him from going anywhere. Sid then lay down on the sofa in turn with the young clinging woman who fell asleep deeply within a few seconds.

The gray-haired mongrel didn't have the courage to move and remained for hours watching that rebel angel with purple hair and diaphanous skin brushing her face every so often until he fell asleep with her.

Maxi and Norris also fell carnally entwined on each other after the eighth bottle.

Riki toasted one last time with Luke and, already dozing off by the hypnotic effects of the Stout, they too fell asleep wrapped in sleeping bags.


	34. Connections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life immediately after the siege of Guardian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may have several errors because it has not yet been checked by a native English speaker. If you want, let me note them in the comments :-)

Benson and Raoul were seated at the lounge table, they had eaten their lunch and were about to finish the dessert. Daniel was checking the situation from a corner of the room, waiting for the two to get up to clear the table.

Raoul was impressed by the resistance of that boy: he was able to remain for hours and hours standing in the same position waiting for a task to be assigned to him.

The Blondie, during the first days, had tried to persuade him to sit down and relax a bit. Daniel obeyed hesitantly but after fifteen minutes at the most he was back on his feet waiting for his next assignment. He then started allocating him tasks that would force the furniture to sit for long periods of time, like shelling peas or reading long documents on the terminal to check for spelling mistakes (and he made sure to put in errors on purpose).

Another thing that impressed Raoul was his pursuit of perfection in everything he did. Daniel did not forgive himself the slightest inattention.

Once he had accidentally put a red garment in the washing machine along with white sheets and they had turned pink. Daniel was terribly mortified and asked Raoul to punish him. When the Blondie replied that it didn't matter, the boy had been restless and agitated all afternoon. Finally, for everyone's peace of mind, Raoul agreed to give him some kind of punishment which consisted of a couple of taps on his back with a stick.

When they had finished eating, the young furniture collected the dirty dishes, placed them on a tray and carried everything into the kitchen.

Benson looked slightly flustered, as if he wanted to talk about something but didn't dare. Raoul made it easy for him: "Do you have something to say, Benson?"

"Yes Master. I feel fine. I would like to resume my work ..." the boy revealed. He showed his nervousness in the restlessness of his hands.

“I'd rather not, Benson. I would like you to just focus on your rehabilitation exercises. Your back muscles aren't completely rebuilt yet."

"Master I could do both. Take care of my duties without neglecting the exercises!"

Raoul was bothered by that conversation. It wasn't the first time they broached that subject but the boy seemed determined enough to get back to work.

“I'll think about it, Benson, but now get on the bed. I'll apply the healing ointment to you."

The young man obeyed. He took off his shirt and climbed onto the examination table on his stomach. Raoul put on a pair of surgical gloves and scooped up a large amount of ointment which he carefully spread over the area, applying light pressure and making circular motions. This operation had a double function: on the one hand the product promoted epidermal regrowth and on the other hand the movement facilitated muscle recovery.

Benson's back was an uneven web of protruding purple markings that, over time, would turn white. After all, it was already a miracle that his skin had regrown evenly. Taking advantage of the fact that the boy was relaxed and with his eyes closed, Raoul decided to do an experiment. He pinched some points with his fingers: no reaction. Silently he took a sharp object from the table and stung him with it: no reaction too. Benson had no sensation throughout the injured area. The Blondie decided to order an electrotherapy device from the clinic.

“You can get up, Benson. Wait an hour to allow the cream to penetrate well and then proceed with your rehabilitation exercises. Later you will immerse yourself in a warm bath with salts."

"Yes Master." The boy said as he got off the bed and put on his shirt. A veil of sadness was heard in his voice.

Raoul was thoughtful. In fact, there were no real reasons why Benson could not resume his work: he was clinically healed and, perhaps, keeping busy and feeling useful would have favored him psychologically and helped him heal faster. At the same time, however, he didn't want Benson to do all the work himself and neglect rehab, and he didn't want to get rid of Daniel either. Suddenly he had an idea.

After dinner he summoned the two furnitures in the living room.

"Daniel, sit down!" Raoul ordered when he realized that the boy would remain standing. He obeyed by placing as little of his body as possible on the armchair. The blondie sighed and started talking.

“I decided to allow Benson to return to duty but I would like him to have some help, especially in carrying out the heaviest tasks. Daniel, tell me, how did you feel serving in my home? Would you like to extend your stay here?"

The brown-haired young man began to nervously rub his hands. He had been fine at Raoul's house but, for the kind of conditioning he had, it was like working 24 hours a day and never relaxing. Daniel could not release the button of submission and diligence as long as he had superiors around, even at night he could not rest well: he slept a kind of half-sleep where a part of him always remained attentive in case someone called him. He missed that moment when he entered the pavilion dedicated to class D furniture and everyone was the same. He missed chatting with his peers and feeling not a servant, but a simple human being.

"Lord Am I felt fine here, you have been very good with me but ... I miss my companions ..."

Raoul smiled. It was the answer he wanted to hear.

“Thanks for your sincerity Daniel. In this case I would like to make you a proposal: I will let you go back to your pavilion but I will tell Louis to send you here for four hours every day so you can relieve Benson from most of his work. Are you satisfied with this possibility?"

"Yes, Lord Am." the boy answered. He was really happy with that option because working at Raoul's house was much easier and less derogatory than the jobs he had to do in Eos. He also liked the Blondie and the other furniture.

"Very well" Raoul nodded "Benson do you agree with taking up your duties with a little help from Daniel?"

"Yes Master, thank you." the young man confirmed, really relieved to be able to put an end to his forced idleness.

“Remember that you will not have to neglect your exercises, massages and healing baths. I also ordered an electrotherapy device and you will have to do it for an hour every day" the Blondie admonished.

Benson swallowed. He would need a 36-hour day to get it all done, but feeling useful was too important to him and he didn't want to be a burden anymore.

"Yes Master, I promise not to neglect my rehabilitation" he finally said, trying to convince himself that he could keep that promise.

"Now retire to your bedroom, Benson, I have some issues to discuss with Daniel."

Both furnitures were surprised by the Blondie's request, but the forest-haired young man obeyed without question. He got up, politely took his leave and went to his room.

Daniel was a little nervous. What would Lord Am want to tell him that the other furniture couldn't hear? Raoul immediately started talking.

“Tomorrow I will send you back to your sector and make arrangements with Louis for your service here. What I haven't told you yet is that I have a job for you to do, Daniel, a task that requires the utmost secrecy. Can I count on your discretion?"

The boy was suddenly afraid. He had understood, during his month at Am house, that the Elite had been dealing with something forbidden and that for this reason he could not leave Eos and Benson had been whipped. The punishment for type-D furniture guilty of serious infringements was death and he didn't want to get into trouble. Raoul became aware of his discomfort and hastened to calm him down.

“I will not ask you to break any rules, I have already caused a lot of damage to Benson and I won’t make the same mistake with you. If my requests put you in trouble, you will be free to refuse. Your only obligation to me will be discretion."

"All right, Lord Am." the boy agreed "I won't say a word to anyone."

“I trust your promise, Daniel. I'm looking for a man, a furniture belonging to your sector that has recently entered service. Indicatively, he should have arrived a few days after you started working for me. He has red hair, ash gray eyes and a noticeable scar on his left cheek. His name is Katze. You just have to tell me if you see him and if he's okay. Nothing else for now. Do you think you can do it?"

Daniel saw nothing dangerous in that request.

"Yes Lord Am, I can do it" he said.

“Very good Daniel, thank you. It may seem small to you but it's very important to me. Now retire to your quarters, I will no longer need you for today. "

The boy bowed and humbly made his way to the room.

***

Riki had been the first to wake up after the spree of the night before and silently got up from the ground taking off Luke’s hands who apparently had taken advantage of that situation to trespass a little.

He covered his face by pulling his leather jacket hood-like over his head and left the room for Gideon’s location, which were Judd Kuger’s private apartments.

The corridors were filled with unconscious mongrel soldiers scattered on the ground. Some of them were still awake, but with so little clarity in their minds that Riki didn't bother being recognized.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Iason would arrive within few hours and it would have been better to wait for him there. He also wanted to keep Gideon in check to prevent him from going around the rooms and finding Aylin and Sid sleeping together. It would have been an embarrassing, if not dangerous, situation. Riki knew from experience that Blondies were jealous and unpredictable and it was advisable not to move certain circuits in their brain.

Aylin woke up shortly thereafter. She didn't remember much of the previous night, only that she was having a great time with the boys and they had talked about absurdities and laughed until suffocation. She realized with surprise that her head was resting on Sid's chest. The girl had liked that man from the first moment she saw him in the parking lots of Eos. She felt comfortable with Sid and also found him very attractive, more than all the pets she had known in Eos or the other mongrels had encountered after escaping from the tower.

She had a natural connection with him. Aside from the embarrassment of the first days when he couldn't get a word out of his mouth, as if talking to a woman had been speaking different languages or forcing him to swallow a toad, over time they had become very close. Aylin felt that Sid and Creek were her only true friends.

During their private self-defense training, the two often found themselves very close to each other and on more than one occasion Aylin had felt a strange vibration that scared her a little. Something forbidden, a sensation she had never experienced even during the sexual parties she attended.

Gideon had never fully mated her with another male pet, her performances were limited to masturbation or practicing and receiving oral sex. The perception of a man within her was still unknown to Aylin.

The girl actually had a bit of an identity crisis: she felt to had obligations towards Gideon and a part of her still believed she was a pet. At the same time, however, another part felt that she had always belonged to that wild and rebellious world. To be more. A woman with strength, pride and intelligence and capable of making her own choices. And this part of her wanted to explore that still unknown side of sexuality with Sid. She longed for it!

Aylin knew that Sid would not hold back: she sensed it from the way he looked at her when they were together. From all those times when, during training, her gaze had accidentally crossed with his one and the young man had immediately diverted it as caught out. The problem was Gideon.

The rule for pets was for their owners to choose their mating partners and to be present whenever they mated together.

While it would have seemed perfectly normal to her before, now the idea of being watched as she related to Sid seemed disgusting to Aylin. Besides, she might as well have tried to ask for Gideon's consent, but what if he refused? She couldn't take the risk.

As she looked at the sleeping man's face, she was seized with a desire. Silently, she put their lips together and kissed him. She pulled away a little and repeated the gesture. Sid didn't wake up.

She strongly inspired that masculine smell, so different from hers, and saw her purple hair settle on the mongrel's silver one. It looked like a wonderful mix. Silently she slipped off the sofa, tied her hair and left the room.

Sid opened his eyes as soon as he heard the sound of the door closing and dreamily brushed his lips with his fingers. Had it really happened or had he just imagined it?

He loved Aylin. She was gorgeous, strong, powerful, intelligent. In front of her Sid felt like a helpless kitten.

Mongrels weren't used to thinking of women as real people. They imagined them as ephemeral and forbidden beings. In their minds were defensless people who needed to be protected and whose sole purpose in society was to raise children.

But Aylin wasn't like that at all. She was real. She was like an extra bandmate. She didn't need to be protected.

And she was ... beautiful! She was a forbidden wish! Sid wouldn't dare imagine in his most occult dreams that Aylin would have any kind of interest in him. And then the fucking Onyx/Blondie commander was extremely protective of the girl! He couldn't rival him, he would be killed.

But who knows, maybe it was worth it ... to die ... for Aylin ...

***

Iason, accompanied by Creek, joined Guardian two days after the siege.

Guy and Cal stayed behind to protect the Ceres and Midas black market bases respectively. Katze's disappearance put business in serious trouble, but fortunately the former furniture had many skilled and faithful men scattered around Midas working for him and Cal was still registered as his furniture. So it wasn't hard to make them believe that Katze was off the planet on business and had left Cal as his delegate and manager.

In reality, the young furniture didn’t know much about the market and limited himself to acting as a spokesperson reporting Iason's directions, with whom he would remain in constant contact even after his transfer to Guardian.

The Blondie came aboarding an aerobike. For the occasion he had selected a medium-length brown hair color and his face was covered by a helmet. He was dressed in civilian clothes, that is, boots, black turtlenecks and pants and a denim jacket.

Creek, who was traveling behind him, literally clung to Iason's torso for fear of falling from the vehicle. When they arrived in front of the steel dome, the heavy gate opened and let them pass and closed again soon after. Iason got off the motorcycle and took off his helmet, then headed for the front door with a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.

The two mongrel soldiers who stood guard looked at him with suspicion and amazement. It was unusual for Ceres to see such an imposing and handsome man with such a distinctive eye color. If they hadn't been authorized by Commander Noa to let him pass and they hadn't seen Creek walking with him, they would have already rang the alarm.

"Take me to your commander" said the Blondie roughly.

One of the two boys motioned for them to follow him and accompanied the two along the Guardian corridors to the room where Gideon was. As they passed, everyone watched with curiosity the mysterious and enigmatic visitor. When they reached the door, the boy stepped aside to allow him to open it.

"The commander expressly gave orders not to allow anyone but you two to enter this room."

"Well done" the Blondie replied. He turned the handle, let Creek in first and went inside, closing the door behind them. A cheeky ebony-haired young man ran up to him smiling.

"I missed you!" he said.

Iason hugged his beloved with his powerful arms, heedless of the Onyx/Blondie who was watching that scene a little bored. "I am glad to see you safe, Riki."

The Blondie had really feared for his mongrel’s life and until the moment Gideon had called him to report the success of the plan, he had relived the terror of losing him again.

Guardian would be their new home. It was imperative to move forward with the plan. The two Blondies and Riki sat around the large living room table to plan their next moves.


	35. Win Katze's trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel tries to get close to Katze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris. Thank'you!

Daniel saw him, the man was sitting in the last spot of the long rectangular tables in the salon. Few people sat there because it was the one located furthest from the food counter.

Daniel put a plate of soup, a fruit, a slice of bread and a glass of water on the tray and went to that table sitting in front of him but a few places away, so that he could see him well without being noticed. It was definitely the man Raoul was looking for, the description coincided.

It was very rare for a furniture to have a physical defect because generally only good-looking and flawless children were selected by Guardian. If the imperfection came later (for example following an accident, an illness or a punishment) they were simply disposed of.

Daniel, however, had to admit that Katze, despite the scar, was really good-looking. He showed more years than the average of the other furnitures, perhaps thirty.

Lord Am asked him to check if he was okay. Daniel looked at him for a while and noticed that he didn't seem to have any health problems. He just seemed ... sad. Daniel knew that feeling well because in reality all the D-type furnitures had gone through that phase.

Many of them initially served in houses of elites, including those of blondies and platinum, and had been repudiated for many different reasons: a whim of their master, a mistake made during the work, have been replaced by another furniture of greater interest etc. That period when you understand that your master doesn't want you anymore and you will end up in the lowest human category of the tower, that you have less value than an object, is really hard.

Daniel had been the furniture of a sapphire: Leon Rio. He had started working for him at the age of 15, just after the training period. He was comfortable serving in that house and Lord Rio was a good master. The problems came six months after he entered service when the elite took a new pet.

That pet hated him and did everything to put him in trouble. He constantly complained of not being well cared for, eating horrible food, having cold bath water, badly worn clothes etc. At home he purposely broke objects and tapestries to make the blame fall on Daniel.

Eventually Lord Rio decided to retire him and take another furniture. Given his young age and good health, he was immediately sent to the type D sector instead of elimination.

Three years had passed since then. Daniel had grown accustomed to that type of life and was no longer regretting not having remained to serve his elite. The work was very hard but repetitive so over time he gained practice and became a little easier to do.

The only real unknown was always the pet salon, there you never knew what could have happened. If it was all right, you only found yourself offended with the most humiliating epithets, maybe a couple of pushes or a trip, but it could have been worse ... sometimes the pets forced you to do the same thing dozens of times, they poured food or drinks on you or they demanded humiliating performances. And the pet orders had to be carried out, always.

Daniel has been lucky in this matter because the pets had left him alone enough because of his ordinary appearance and ability to go unnoticed.

The boy concentrated his attention again on the man in front of him: Katze had finished his soup and was peeling an apple very meticulously, forming a thin strip of peel with a knife. Daniel thought that he must have been a very skilled elite’s furniture.

He wondered if he should have said something to him. Maybe just a 'Hi, are you new?', But that man's attitude just seemed to mean 'Don't come close'.

Suddenly Katze looked up and met Daniel's attentive eyes who, embarrassed, hurriedly looked the other way.

'He noticed I'm watching him' thought the boy uneasily.

Katze went back to his apple and started slicing it. Then suddenly he spoke: "I've never seen you around here." he said quietly without taking his attention away from what he was doing.

"No," replied the other, "I ... I was temporarily serving in the home of an elite, I was replacing the holder furniture. I came back today."

"I didn't know that elites would take Type D as substitutes." Katze replied, always without looking at him.

“No, in fact it doesn't usually happen. It was… an exception.”

"I see. Good for you then, you enjoyed a holiday."

Katze finished eating his fruit and got up to go throw the scraps and bring the dirty dishes to the counter. Today was not his turn to wash them and tidy up the salon.

"My name is Daniel!" the boy almost shouted before Katze was too far away to hear him.

"Katze." he replied, looking at him for just a moment. Then he put the tray away and silently left the room.

***

The next morning Daniel finished washing the floors that had been assigned to him and put the work tools in their place. He looked at the large clock on the ceiling: 7:45 am. In ten minutes he should be in the penthouse. Raoul had left his entry permits active and the doors opened automatically upon his arrival. He entered and saw the blondie sitting at the breakfast table. He bowed discreetly and headed for the kitchen to help Benson.

"Good morning Daniel." Raoul said forcing him to turn around before he managed to disappear.

"Good morning Lord Am." the boy replied politely with a low look.

"How did the return to your sector go?"

"I had no inconvenience, Lord Am. I ... saw the man you instructed me to seek."

Raoul got up abruptly, shaking the table and knocking over the chair he was sitting on. “Have you seen Katze? Are you sure?"

"Yes Lord Am. It was last night during dinner. The description coincided and he ... told me his name."

Raoul felt all his nerves squirm with emotion and relief. He breathed deeply not to reveal his accelerated heart rate.

"How is he?" Asked the blondie, fearful of resolve the answer. 

"I think he is fine, Lord Am, he seemed well fed and free of any physical discomfort."

Raoul took a deep breath again and felt that the stone that had gripped his stomach for more than a month was lightening.

Benson, who had rushed immediately after hearing the noise of the chair fallen to the ground, had listened to the exchange of words from the kitchen door and showed an evident state of disturbance on his face.

“Master, is Sir Katze with D-type furnitures? Why?" He asked suddenly with a slightly trembling voice.

Raoul shook his head, he would not have liked his furniture to be informed.

"Yes Benson," he said later, "Katze was sentenced by Jupiter to serve Eos as a type-D furniture."

The green-haired young man pursed his lips, clenched his fists, closed his eyes and began to shed silent tears. "It's my fault. They sentenced him because of me!" He said.

Raoul approached him to try to calm him down but Benson pushed him away. He immediately regretted that gesture. He had refused his master! "E ... excuse me ..." he said trembling.

"It doesn't matter Benson, your reaction is understandable, but I want you to know that it's my fault, not yours."

The young man swung his head vigorously to deny that statement. "No. I was the one who brought you to him when you were ... unwell. I was the one who asked him to help you. If I hadn't done it, any of this would have happened. I should have let myself be killed by that whip!" he said excitedly.

"Don't say nonsense Benson." the blondie reproached him "You took care of my health by bringing me to him and this is your duty. You were a victim like Katze. You have no faults! "

The boy couldn't stop crying and Raoul put a hand on his shoulders to calm him.

"Has he been ... mutilated?" he asked after a few minutes.

“No Benson, Katze had already been changed as a child. As you. He is a furniture released. In reality he is also the owner of a furniture himself and extremely rich, if you want to know."

Raoul smiled. He said it to play down the situation and take the sadness away from the boy and it had actually worked.

"This is strange." Benson said after a moment of reflection and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Yes, Katze is a particular human being." confirmed Raoul. "Now let's not get tragic right now that we have confirmed from Daniel that he is in good health. Right Benson?"

"Yes master." He replied nodding his head "I'm sorry."

Daniel had been fascinated by the conversation.

He had discovered that Katze was a freed furniture (and this alone was more unique than rare) that was the owner of a furniture himself, that was affluent and that had helped Raoul to recover from some kind of disease and for this had been punished by Jupiter and condemned to be a type-D furniture.

All of this was unbelievable. It was the strangest story Daniel had ever heard. This Katze really seemed to be an interesting person.

That evening Raoul called Guy to tell him that he had discovered that Katze was alive and fine.

When the mongrel asked him how he did it, the biochemist narrated the events of the past few weeks. He told of Benson's health from the initial stage in which he was enticed to progressive recovery. He told of Daniel and how he had managed to get the news he wanted. Finally he narrated how the next step would have been to try to establish at least visual contact with Katze but for this Daniel would have to gain some confidence.

Guy listened carefully. He was really relieved to notice that Raoul had started to come out of his protective shell a little. Then he told him how Iason and Riki had moved to Guardian leaving him and Cal to protect the black market bases of Ceres and Midas.

They said goodbye with the promise of talk to each other again soon, both with a spark of relief in the heart in feeling that things were starting to go back to normal.

***

The next morning, at 5:45 am, Daniel spotted Katze at the usual table. He took his breakfast tray and walked over to him sitting in the same spot the other time. He observed him trying not to get noticed.

Katze had two slices of toast and a cup of black coffee on his tray and was looking apathetically ahead of him. Then he took the cup and brought it to his mouth.

"Do you have something to look at?" Katze asked suddenly as he placed the coffee on the table.

Daniel felt mortified. He probably thought he was staring at his scar. "I'm sorry," replied the boy "I didn't want to disrespect you."

Katze touched the furrow on his cheek with the fingers of his left hand. "I used to wear long hair to cover it." he then said thoughtfully, as if he were conversing with his cup of coffee.

"You have a beautiful face, it doesn't look wrong in you." Daniel replied, immediately regretting those words. "Sometimes they give us some jam to put on bread," he added to change the subject. "They do it when they have too much upstairs and it's going to get moldy."

"Why are you doing it?" The red-haired man asked suspiciously

"Do what?"

"Watch me. Look for a conversation."

“I think because you are ... different from the others. It bothers you?"

"Not particularly." Katze replied biting his slice of bread.

"Can I ... do it again then?"

"If you want ..." Katze shrugged as if to say he was indifferent to him. He finished his breakfast and left the lounge.

Raoul had asked Daniel to try to get Katze to report the places where he would work day by day but it would take some time. He would have to proceed gradually to gain some of his trust. He finished his meal and prepared to start a new day at work.

***

The next morning Daniel took courage and approached Katze again with a small bowl in his hand.

“As I mentioned to you yesterday, sometimes they give us some, but you need to know where to look for it. They cannot put it on the counter because otherwise it ends immediately. Do you want some?" He said, holding out the bowl that contained apricot jam.

Katze, who was bending over his tray as usual, looked up in surprise. Again that kid.

"Thanks." he replied simply. Dipped the spoon in the gelatinous substance and then spread it on the bread.

Daniel sat down next to him and he too dipped the spoon into the bowl. When they had finished eating, he got up first and offered to bring Katze's tray and dirty dishes back, and he accepted the offer.

As the days passed, it became a habit for Katze for Daniel to sit next to him at mealtimes. Sometimes they exchanged a few words of circumstance: comments about the food, about the things that happened to Eos or news that leaked from the outside.

Daniel started to open up a bit and tell something about himself, like how he had become a D-type furniture and some of the misadventures that had happened to him during work.

He gave him some advice on handling particularly difficult tasks such as quickly unclogging the Eos drain pipes or avoid being overwhelmed by too energetic elites when washing floors. All skills he had acquired through experience.

Katze mostly listened. Sometimes he brought new notions to the speech but never went on staff. He never spoke of himself.

Finally one day Daniel ventured to ask him the information Raoul wanted.

“Where did they assign you today? I have to take care of the corridors on the floor 21, then I will go to the house of the elite I assist and this afternoon I will be on duty at the toilets on the floor 48."

"Why do you want to know Daniel?" Katze asked as he finished emptying his cup of black coffee.

"Ah so, because maybe we happen to be on duty in nearby places and we meet."

The black market leader did not seem very convinced of that answer but saw nothing wrong in responding.

"Corridors on floor 7, sorting of waste on floor 80 and this afternoon I will be on duty for the table service of the Oasis Salon."

"Ah ..." exclaimed Daniel "Be careful ... at the salon. Have you been there before?"

"Unfortunately yes," Katze replied "several times already, and it never went well."

The Oasis salon was the most exclusive one, frequented only by type A pets, and the furnitures used to serve the tables was the most targeted.

“Try not to react. Do what you are ordered without thinking about it. Try to close your brain!" The young man advised with a little apprehension.

He knew that Katze, despite his detached attitude, was not conditioned. Humility was not as inherent in him as in most other D-type furniture.

"Yes I know." Katze concluded, getting up from the table. "See you later." he added as he left the room.

Daniel did his chores early in the morning and, at the appointed hour, headed to Raoul's home where he finally managed to inform the blondie that Katze would be on duty that afternoon in the Oasis pet salon.

"And where is this place located?" The blondie asked surprised.

“It's a very large salon, Lord Am, they built it a couple of years ago. It also features a solarium and an indoor swimming pool. It's located on floor 50 and only the R and Z elevators reach it. "

It was a place reserved exclusively for pets where elites hardly went and if they did it was only to recover their pet. Raoul had no pets for some time, the last one had been Mimea and many years had passed. It would not have been the best for his image, after a month and a half that he did not leave the apartment, to be seen right in a pet salon but he would have done it, he could not absolutely miss this opportunity to see his auburn-hair confidant.


	36. About furnitures, mongrels and pets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life in Guardian. A misadventure for Creek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

In Guardian, over the course of the days, the conquerors took care of the transfer of women and children to the reception centers built specifically for them in New Ceres. The staff took a little longer because it had been decided to inspect the curriculum of each of the operators with particular attention to their behavior within Guardian.

Those who were allegedly responsible for abuse and mistreatment were sent to detention centers and brought to trial. For all the others they had set up small apartments with the obligation to provide socially useful services.

Judd Kuger would remain in detention inside Guardian: he was too big of a fish for New Ceres and he had too many accusations to answer for. One in particular was the sale of live human organs, which was Guardian's main source of economic livelihood along with genital mutilation of the children to sell them to Eos as furnitures.

The basements were teeming with these abominable biological materials: hearts, lungs, brains, complete nervous and circulators systems. Human parts kept artificially alive and waiting to be sold or used for shady experiments.

A separate discussion was to be made for Manon Kuger. The boy, although he was known for his bad temper and for being devoid of all respect and empathy, was not aware of his father's questionable affairs. Rather, he had been a victim of it, having discovered Guardian's abominations suddenly and having been psychologically traumatized by them.

Manon had actually never recovered from that shock happened more than two years earlier and his brain was no longer functioning properly. He could only process extremely simple sentences and concepts and constantly needed assistance for his survival. In the end they decided to let him leave with the children, in the reception institution someone would take care of him.

Iason made the decision to destroy the macabre biological material. He and Gideon went to the dungeons and burned everything with gasoline and flamethrowers. The risk that some of the humans accidentally went there and ended like Manon was too big.

Creek resumed his kitchen duties. At Guardian there was an immense kitchen equipped with every technology, a well-stocked pantry sufficient to feed all the 1000 mongrels for months and a freezer full of frozen meats and vegetables.

There were dormitories with numerous beds of all sizes and canteens large enough for hundreds of diners. In addition, there were many bathrooms with toilets and shared shower rooms with dozens of shower heads pouring hot and cold water.

Iason, Riki, Gideon, Aylin and Creek settled inside the Kugers' quarters. Iason and Riki occupied one of the bedrooms, Gideon the second and Creek and Aylin the third. It was a real apartment inside the fortress independent of the rest and complete with every service.

The other mongrels were divided into the various pavilions, in principle they divided like the teams to which they belonged.

The next moves were now purely strategic and in the hands of Iason. The blondie had a clear and precise plan and the mongrel army had to do nothing but wait and enjoy life in Guardian.

Gideon made sure that military training was not neglected by carefully planning their activities hour by hour, but from late afternoon onwards the boys were basically free from commitments and celebrated in the mongrel way with camaraderie, drinks, card games, bets, games of billiards, dancing and music.

Aylin/Neel and Sid spent a lot of time together. Sometimes, as soon as they finished training, they separated from the group and went together to explore new Guardian areas. The place was so large that it was impossible to get bored.

There were game rooms, gyms, covered gardens, libraries and even a museum that housed artifacts from their past and those of other planets.

Neither of them had mentioned what had happened after the post conquest celebrations. Aylin took advantage of the time alone with Sid to take off both her mongrel male and pet masks and simply be herself.

One of their favorite pastimes was to lie on the floor and imagine what the new Amoi would look like after the revolutions they would bring. They imagined a future where there were no mongrels, citizens, pets, furnitures and elites but only inhabitants of the planet, with equal rights and opportunities.

They spoke about the things they would do and see. Aylin would show Sid the beauty of Eos' gardens and together they would walk through Midas and Tanagura without having to account for any of their movements and without fear of being captured by the guards.

In these moments they often took each other by the hand and Sid caressed Aylin's arm with his fingers, appreciating her smooth and soft skin. The girl chuckled with tickling and Sid took advantage of it to tickle her elsewhere. They both ended rolling on the floor and laughing.

At other times Aylin offered to relieve Sid's tensions with massages she had learned in academia. The boy took off his shirt and she carefully worked on his neck and back muscles and helped him stretch his legs and arms. Then she made him lie on his stomach on the floor and applied pressure to specific points with the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet. It was an ancient technique called 'Shiatsu' and Sid loved to feel her nimble feet walking up and down his spine.

Every evening at 10 pm Aylin came back home to Gideon and behaved like a good pet. She wore women's clothes, tied her hair in two long braids and sat at the feet of the blondie who lovingly stroked her head.

But in reality ... she didn't like it as much as she used to be adorable and docile to her master.

Creek had a lot of work to do, it was not easy to organize and prepare healthy and balanced meals every day for over a thousand people. Most of the time he had at least a group of 10/15 boys who helped him but occasionally he happened to be alone.

It was one of those times that morning. The boys were all busy in training and he was walking around the shelves of the huge room that served as a pantry. He wanted to prepare a stew of meat and vegetables accompanied by white rice and was looking for any suitable spice.

In one of the boxes located on the top shelf he seemed to recognize the packaging of a mix of dried aromatic herbs that he used in Eos' apartment.

Usually, to access the higher shelves, he used the ladder but that day he lent it to a group of boys who needed it to change a light bulb and had not yet brought it back.

Creek climbed onto the lower shelf and reached out. He still lacked a few centimeters to reach his goal. He then went up to the second shelf. The shelving staggered a bit but luckily stood up and finally he managed to grab the spice pack.

Going down, however, he missed the shelf with his foot. Fearful of falling backwards, he clung to the first thing he could get, which was a plastic bottle full of frying oil. Creek fell to the ground violently slamming his butt. He got away with a bruise but he was gripping the bottle so tightly that it broke pouring all its contents on the boy's head and body.

After a couple of minutes in which he tried to understand if a few bones had broken he concluded to be still whole and got to his feet. Now the problem was though that his hair and clothes were completely impregnated with oil.

He had a change of clothes in the kitchen because it was easy to get dirty in that environment but first he absolutely needed a shower with a lot of shower gel.

Creek usually used the bathroom of the Kugers' apartment but it was very far from the kitchen and walking 200 meters dripping oil on the street would have been dangerous and not very recommendable.

There was however a bathroom of those with common showers right behind it. Under normal conditions he would never have thought of using it but this was an emergency. In addition, all the mongrels were in the yard for training and would not return before a couple of hours. He opted to wash there.

Trying to drain as little oil as possible and not slip, he took the envelope with the change of clothes with his fingertips and headed for the bathroom. Once he got to the shower room he undressed, turned on the water and when the temperature was pleasant he threw himself under the jet. He took the shampoo, poured a good amount on his head and began to massage his long light-blue hair.

Since his eyes were closed, the sound of the water overtook everything else and the foam muffled his ears, he did not immediately notice the three boys who had entered. Then he heard their voices.

"Hey Creek! What happened to your ass? Did someone kick you or what? You have a bruise as big as my head! "

The young man was panicked. He was with his back to the door, facing the wall of light blue tiles.

"Ah yes, I fell off a shelf." He said trying to keep calm as he approached the wall trying to hide himself.

He heard another voice.

"Cabbage Creek, you don't have a single body hair. Are you waxing yourself?"

"N ... no. My hair doesn't grow." By now he was practically attached to the wall. Perhaps he could have managed to get by walking sideways against the wall to the exit.

"Cabbage what luck! My partner likes it hairless and I have to suffer and shave every week to satisfy him!"

The boys entered were three. They had taken off their clothes and had thrown themselves too under the stream of water.

"Uhaaaa how wonderful!" said one of them "I was about to pass out in the courtyard. It's roasting today! Hey Creek would you pass me the bubble bath?"

The young furniture took the bottle, which was right next to him, and threw it as best he could towards that boy without turning around.

"Hey Creek, what's wrong with you?" asked the last of the three "Do you have it small that you are trying to hide yourself?"

The mongrels all burst out laughing at the joke. Creek began to panic and breathe heavily.

“Uouoo I was joking, there is no need to react like this! And then even if you have a little cock, we are not offended!"

One of the mongrels approached Creek which had remained silent and trembling against the wall.

"What's wrong with you?" He said, touching him by the shoulders as if to shake him.

"Don't touch me!" the young man suddenly shouted, hugging his torso with his arms.

The mongrel, exasperated, made him turn by force. Creek closed his eyes and, still keeping his arms around his body, leaned completely against the wall. The three mongrels approached him, encircling and observing the boy.

"You are a furniture!" said one of them "You're a lousy sold furniture!"

Creek did not reply. He closed his eyes with more force almost as if hoping to wake up from a bad dream. One of them put a hand between his legs and the young furniture almost lost his balance and began to tremble visibly. He felt completely paralyzed and unable to move.

“Are you a spy for those Tanagura assholes or what? What are you doing here?"

Creek only managed to shake his head to deny that statement.

“Hey, I guess the baby is a virgin. What do you say if we show him a little how we treat traitors in Ceres?"

The three mongrels started laughing.

"Yes, OK!" The other replied "let's have some fun with the little boy who sold himself to the Android scum of Tanagura."

Without Creek having a way to react, one of them pushed him to the ground causing him to crawl, resting on his hands and knees. While two of them held him still to prevent him from getting up, the third touched his anus with his fingers.

“Yeah guys it's nice tight. It's time to deflower the baby." He said groping his anal orifice. Then, without much compliment, he spat on it and inserted a finger.

Creek started crying and struggling. The boy who was helding his shoulders hit him with a slap and forced him to raise his head.

“What's going on bitch, don't you like a nice hard cock? Would you rather suck it?"

Having said that, he began to rub the tip of his penis on his lips. Creek struggled to keep his mouth shut but the third mongrel, the one holding his torso, straddled his back with his legs on both sides of his body and forced him to open his jaw.

Immediately the one which was in front of him took advantage of the situation to push his penis inside his mouth while the one which was behind added a second finger to the intrusion.

Creek tried to escape from the hold but the mongrel that forced him to keep his mouth open squeezed him with such force as to form dark bruises on his cheeks. Finally the guy behind removed his fingers from the rectum.

"Enough so guys, I'd say we scared him enough!"

Laughing the three mongrels released him. Creek crawled to the wall to sit with his back against the wall with an expression of pure terror on his face.

The three finished taking a shower as if nothing had happened. They turned off the water and, before leaving the room, one of them turned back to the young man curled up against the wall.

“Hey if I were you, doll, I would run away from here. When the others find out the truth, they won't be as kind as us! "

Creek was alone. Still in fear, he stood there for a few minutes, trembling in silence. Then he began to cry, sobbing desperately and convulsively.

He shouted, clapping his head with his hands. He slammed his skull several times against the hard ceramic wall. Finally, when he no longer had the strength to cry, he got up, staggered and went to get the envelope with his clothes and put them on. Then, pale as a rag, he started running towards the Kuger apartment without looking back.

Riki was sitting in the living room when he saw Creek who was entering. It was unusual to see him return at that hour. The young furniture went straight to the room he shared with Aylin without saying goodbye and shut himself inside.

This was strange. Creek was usually very sociable and polite and Riki had the impression that something had happened to him. He decided to knock on the door.

"Hey Creek, are you okay?"

The young man from the inside answered immediately. “Yes Riki don't worry. I just ... have a little stomach ache."

Riki was satisfied with the answer. It explained that he had come back earlier and that he looked so pale and upset.

"Do you want me to ask Gideon to send someone to the kitchen to replace you?"

"Yes, thank you Riki." the young man answered from inside the room.

The mongrel took the beeper he used to communicate with others as he, like Iason, almost never left those quarters and sent the following message to Gideon: - Creek is ailing. Put a replacement - And went back to his chores.

Several hours later the young furniture had not yet left the room. He had stayed all the time curled up on the bed under the covers crying and sobbing.

In addition to the anguish he felt about the way he had been physically violated and the harshness of the things they had told him, Creek now did not know what to do anymore.

He wondered if those three mongrels would really tell the others or if it was an empty threat. And if it were true, would others come to insult and attack him? What was he supposed to do? Run away? Hide in his room forever? Tell it to his master?

All three options seemed terrible. Creek did not want to appear weak and childish in Gideon's eyes nor did he want the whole army to know that he had gone to be defended by the commander.

No ... he should have reacted. Go on as if this misfortune had not happened. He could not be overcome by fear.

With this self-conviction he calmed down a bit. He got out of bed and went for a thorough shower. Then he changed his clothes and with a deep breath that contained all his strength of mind he left the room.

Riki was still in the living room.

"Do you feel better? You stayed in there for quite a while." The mongrel asked, looking away from the terminal.

“Yes thanks Riki, I feel better. I'll be back to work."

"Are you sure? If you're still not well, someone else can replace you for tonight."

"No, I can do it. See you later."

Taking courage and ignoring his throbbing heart, Creek opened the door and started walking towards the kitchen.

About an hour later, Riki received a message from Norris on his beeper.

\- I'm out here. Open to me. -

Riki opened and Norris and Maxi burst into the room without much compliment.

"Is Creek here? You absolutely must not let him out!" Norris exclaimed.

"He came out an hour ago." Riki said surprised. "Why? What happened?"

"Fuck! We have to find him! Someone spread the rumor that he is a furniture. Many are looking for him to see if it is true and how he is made. They were betting on who will fuck him first!"

"Swine Jupiter!!"

Riki quickly put on his leather jacket and slung out of the room followed by the other two. He didn't even bother to cover his face with his hat and dark glasses.

When they arrived in front of the kitchen there was a crowd that went from the door to the corridor. They had to push their way into the pile by pushing.

Creek was inside, standing against the wall.

He was without clothes and a particularly robust guy held him by the wrists forcing them behind his back and constraining the boy into a slightly arched unnatural position that showed off his genital mutilation.

Creek was completely hairless, with fair and silky skin and a lean and soft body like that of a child. He had nothing between his legs, no penis or testicular pouch. His groin had no scars and was completely smooth except for the urethral hole. He looked like a porcelain doll.

His stomach rose and fell very quickly due to accelerated breathing and his face was purple and streaked with tears.

A crowd of at least 200 curious, pissed and ravenous mongrels had gathered around him.

"Come on, let us touch him!" Someone shouted from the crowd. "Leave some for us!" Another voice was screaming.

The guy who held Creek by the wrists planted a knee between his legs forcing him to open them to offer an even better view. To the supplications of the boy he answered laughing in a rude and sarcastic way. It was a meat fair!

Riki moved into the crowd and let out a loud cry.

"LET’S STOP NOW!"

Everyone turned to him.

There was a moment of silence and dismay. Some began to whisper to each other.

"Is him Riki the Dark?" They asked the neighbor how to look for confirmation.

“He's Riki of Bison. Is back!" Others said.

Riki led the way between them, dodging anyone who got in his way. He reached the point where Creek was and directly confronted the boy.

"Piece of pork swollen on steroids, I advise you to leave him immediately or I’ll make you regret the day that your bitch mother got fucked!"

"Who the fuck are you?" He answered without any intention of letting go. “Why are you defending this Tanagura waste? Riki the Dark wouldn't have done it. He was one of us!"

“Riki the Dark can be many things. Now listen to my advice and give him up, I won't repeat it to you a third time!"

"Force me!" The dismissive colossus replied.

Riki jumped forward carrying him to his side and with a well placed knee on the ribs left him breathless forcing him to leave the wrists of Creek. He pushed the terrified boy as if to get him out of the fight and then took the big man's head in his hands and gave him a head on the nasal septum breaking it and making him hit the back of the neck against the wall. With an elbow in the temple he managed to throw him on the ground and kicked him on the kidneys, stomach, ribs, face and balls.

When he had reduced him to a heap of blood and bruises he pushed him abruptly towards the crowd.

“Anyone else still want to fuck the kid? Step forward! I can't wait to test your shitty masculinity!"

Nobody advanced.

"Why are you defending him?" Asked a voice in the crowd.

"Why am I defending him? Because the boy is a victim, just as I was! Because he didn't choose to serve Tanagura, they forced and mutilated him against his will. All the shit we think of in Ceres has been inculcated us by the assholes of the upper floors to forment hatred between us.

Mongrels, furnitures, pets… we all are victims of this fucking system and instead of joining forces we are waging war!

Why did you sign up? Do you understand why we invaded Guardian? Do you think before acting or do you just follow the herd like sheep?

We have conquered Guardian just to prevent other children from making the end of Creek and in 200 you attack one boy who had the courage to be among you to fight for a cause instead of within the protected walls of Eos. A boy who works his ass of every day to put something decent on your plates!

What the fuck! You really have to be brainless mules to behave like this!"

Riki spoke resolutely and at a very loud volume. Everyone clearly heard him and nobody dared to interrupt. Eventually, after a few minutes of silence, someone started to leave the room immediately imitated by the others.

A couple of them carried the one who had been beaten on their shoulders and dragged him out until only Riki, Norris, Maxi and Creek remained inside the kitchen.

Riki approached Creek reaching out to help him get up.

"Where are your clothes" He asked abruptly.

"I ... I don't know" replied the boy with a little effort "They ripped them off me. I don't think they are even whole."

Riki nodded "Ok. Norris, find him something to wear!"

Norris went out and after a few minutes he returned with a pair of pants, a shirt and a pair of shoes. Creek thanked him and put them on.

"Did they hurt you?" Asked the boss of Bison without transmitting any kind of empathy for the difficult situation that the boy had just experienced.

"N ... no. I'm fine."

"Then come with me."

He took Creek by the wrist and dragged him down the Guardian corridors until he reached an empty room. He jerked in sharply and closed the door behind them.

"Hit me Creek!"

"W ... what? No!" The boy was confused.

“Have you ever hit someone Creek? Have you ever felt a jaw shatter under your fist? Have you ever seen blood spurting from a split nose? No right? Well it's time to do it. You won't survive Ceres if you don't learn to defend yourself!"

The young furniture was petrified.

Without preamble Riki punched him on the cheekbone and knocked him to the ground.

Creek took his bruised cheek with his hand, blood spilling from one side of his mouth.

"Come on hit me Creek, or are you hoping to get away with it some other way?"

When the young man didn't react, Riki kicked him on the stomach making him bend forward.

“You still don't want to hit me? I must continue"

The merciless mongrel continued to beat him on the ribs and back. He took him by the hair forcing him to get up and threw another punch on the already purple cheek making him a black eye.

Finally, tired of being a punching bag, Creek counterattacked. He jumped nimbly on Riki's back and started punching him behind the neck.

Riki tried to throw him back on the ground but Creek bit him hard on the shoulder. The mongrel launched himself back against the wall causing the other to cry out in pain and force him to let go.

When they were facing each other again, Riki started to punch him again in the face but Creek managed to avoid the last second and hit him with a head under the chin.

Riki felt the blow and had a vertigo attack. Creek took the opportunity to punch him in the face making his nose bleed.

Riki smiled.

"You are agile!" he said wiping the blood with the sleeve of his shirt. “It's your strong point. You have to work on it!"

The two went on for a while. At the end of the fight Creek was full of bruises and cuts on his face and lips, he had a black eye and bleeding knuckles. Maybe a Broken rib.

Riki got away with some bruising on the face, a bloody nose and a few bites here and there. He had actually let himself be hit on purpose but this was better than Creek didn't know. They were both lying on the ground and panting.

After a few minutes of silence in which they both regained their strength, Riki spoke.

“You will train every day. Me, Aylin and the boys will help you. Today I hope I stuck some common sense in someone's head but you will find other assholes. They'll attack you again, Creek. If you don't learn to attack first, you're dead. You will never earn their respect if you are unable to break his teeth. Do you understand?"

Creek was sore but he didn't care. He was happy. He had taken many but also managed to give some.

"Yup. I will not be unprepared again." he finally said.

"Good." Riki stood up and helped Creek get up. Then with an uncertain step they headed towards the apartment to get back on their feet.


	37. Secrets between Blondies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon is angry and Iason manages to calm him down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short, light and quite funny chapter. Language corrections by Callie Paris.

Inside one of the most luxurious rooms of the enormous armored structure that was Guardian, Iason examined the naked body of his mongrel lying on his stomach on the bed.

"Was it really necessary to make you imprint certain signs?" The enigmatic blondie asked as he applied a refreshing gel to the purple marks.

"Are you jealous by chance?" the boy answered with a mocking smile.

Iason had always been very possessive with Riki's body. He loved to leave those indissoluble symbols of love and property on his wild skin and to see them caused by another mouth that was not his own, ignited in him an instinct for rivalry.

“I suppose it can be defined like this. I'm going to have to get busy marking my possessions again, Riki.”

The blondie lightly touched his perineum with his fingers, an area where he was particularly sensitive. Riki reflexively raised his pelvis.

"Aaaaah ... wait a few ... days for that." he said pervaded by the shivers of pleasure.

"Wait for what, my pet?"

The magic word immediately triggered Riki's hidden bell. The one that ignited all his senses in a mix of foretaste and expectation.

"To leave me ... signs."

His voice trembled slightly. Iason continued to work skillfully that point between the anus and the scrotum of his lover while the long ivory hair tickled his back.

He further raised Riki's pelvis until he had all the views of him well exposed, the boy's chest still resting on the bed forming an arch with the column.

Iason moistened his fingers with saliva and placed them on the jagged and hot anal portal.

Riki clung firmly to the sheets while the other penetrated him with his fingers preparing the desired entrance.

The blondie pinched those firm buttocks several times leaving a trail of red circles. The young man moaned and the blood began to flow strongly to the groin area causing him an urgent need to have more.

The blondie was playing. He touched the incredibly sensitive area where his lover's rod once stood, making his dark and soft surrounding hair stand on end.

"Gghhhgh please ... Iason!"

"Please what?" asked the master in a sadistic whisper.

"Give me ... More!"

The blondie turned his fingers inside the succulent and slippery canal pushing the eager walls.

Riki wanted more. He wanted to be filled. He wanted to feel the huge member of Iason scrambling his bowels until he was sent to heaven.

The blondie grasped the agile hips firmly until the shape of his fingers was drawn on the skin.

“Whose are you, Riki? Who do you belong to?"

"Aaahaa I ... I belong ... to you!"

Iason with a powerful push entered him, ripping out a cry of desired pain.

That position allowed a very deep stimulation and Riki could not refrain from vocalizing his ecstasy.

Iason sank strongly into that being which represented his whole. His weakness and strength.

Riki reached a climax in a rattle, firing his vital liquid in abundant and energetic splashes.

Iason retired and guided him to a new position on his side, then dived again.

By teasing his stiff nipples with his fingers and biting his neck and earlobe, Riki was invisibly hard again. His phantom organ throbbed.

In those moments the mongrel forgot the mutilation he had undergone. His feelings had not changed, they were the same as in the life before Dana Burn. Sex was equally rewarding.

Iason continued his thrusts again and again. His journey to the release that went through Riki's flesh was insatiable.

Riki was about to come again but that imposing and inscrutable blonde deity stopped.

With a sharp and loud blow he slapped the inviting butt. He came out of him and, after having made him turn on his back, he brought his partner's knees back until he rested them on the mattress on the sides of his ears. His mongrel was so wonderfully elastic.

He penetrated him again fucking him this time with strength and speed.

Riki was going crazy. His sensitive groin flapped as his delightfully filled interiors radiated sparks of pleasure to his whole body. He was a volcano ready to explode again.

Iason twisted his perfect facial features for a moment as he reached climax. Quiet, as always, but with deafening power.

Riki joined him soon after. The seed fell on his own stomach.

Iason lay on top of him sharing the slipperiness between their two bodies.

Consummation. Satisfaction. Silence. Complicity. Love.

Only several minutes later they heard voices from the living room which had taken volumes that were a little too high and agitated. They decided to clean up a bit, get dressed and go and see what was going on.

***

"Creek, what have you done to your face and hands?"

The boy had tried to hide the signs of the fight covering them with Aylin's face makeup but apparently it hadn't worked. The blondie had noticed right away.

"I fell off a pantry shelf, Master Gideon."

The commander frowned. He strode over and took the boy's chin turning his face left and right to look at him better. Then, without hesitation, he lifted his shirt and saw the purple bruises on his hips and back.

"You may no longer have a tag on your wrist," he said authoritatively. "But you are still my possession, and I will not tolerate lies. Tell me immediately who reduced you like this!"

"I fell master. It's the truth."

The onyx / blondie took him by the wrist and squeezed it.

“Since when did you become a rebel, Creek? Do I have to remind you of your position? Should we go back to disciplinary methods?"

He squeezed his wrist with more force, twisting it slightly. Creek cried out in pain.

"Aaaah I ... I can not say it."

Aylin got up from her station ready to intervene if necessary. She had been informed by Riki of all the events of the day. Gideon loosened his grip a little.

“You have to tell me Creek. You are my property and it’s my duty to take action against anyone who damages you without my consent!"

The furniture looked at the blondie defiantly. His lips tight.

At the sight of those fiery eyes, anger took hold of the master.

"Put your palms on the wall!" he ordered.

He disappeared behind the bedroom door and immediately reappeared with a stick in his hand. A wooden cylinder of about two centimeters in diameter.

Creek closed his eyes for the first shot. He was determined not to give in. At that moment Iason and Riki emerged from the room.

"What the fuck is going on?" The mongrel asked at the sight of Creek with his hands against the wall and Gideon behind him wielding a pole.

Iason motioned for silence and approached the other blondie carefully.

“Brother, I'm sorry to end your disciplinary session, but having spent a little more time than you have in the company of mongrel humans, I think I know the reason for your anger. The furniture cannot talk about it, not to force its will. Follow me, I will give you a satisfactory explanation."

Gideon, between amazed and annoyed because Iason had intruded on matters that did not concern him, suspended the punishment for the moment and followed the other blondie into the study.

Creek sighed with relief but remained in position. He looked questioningly at Riki and Aylin to ask if either of them had understood what the blondies were saying, but both responded by shaking his head.

Nobody ever knew what Iason had told his brother to convince him, the fact is that ten minutes later Gideon emerged from the room much calmer. He gave Creek permission to retire and never returned to the matter.


	38. In the Oasis salon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katze is on duty in the pet’s salon and Raoul watches the scene – Evening conversation between Katze and Daniel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

The Oasis salon was a large recreation center for high-class pets. Inside it there were a well-stocked bar where cocktails of all kinds were prepared, a restaurant with numerous tables, a heated swimming pool with hydromassage and a solarium area with sunbeds. The furnitures serving the tables had to obey pet requests wherever they were at the time.

Since the lounge was always very crowded it was necessary that there was a lot of staff. There were always at least five waiters but there could be even more at peak times.

When Raoul entered the luxury club many of the pets turned to look at him. Someone stepped back in fear. The receptionist asked if he was looking for his pet but the blondie replied that he had just come to have a look and sat on one of the bar stools that gave him a good view of the whole area and ordered a drink.

For now, not even a shadow of Katze.

***

Before entering the staff door, Katze closed his eyes and took a long breath.

'Obey orders - keep a humble attitude - don't fight back - don't react ...' in his head the basic rules were repeated like a mantra.

Then he remembered Daniel's advice that morning: 'don't think - close your brain - pretend it's not you ...'

Finally he entered with the menu of food and drinks in his hand and began to zigzag between the tables with his eyes downcast waiting for someone to call him. He didn’t notice the blondie who watched him carefully from the bar area.

The first hour of work took place without major unforeseen events, only a few shoots of pets that ran regardless of the others. The problems came when Reinold noticed him.

Reinold was the pet of Zeke Bell, an important blondie, and he was incredibly self-centered and conceited. From the first time he noticed Katze he had started targeting him, giving him the epithet of ‘scarred’ and humiliating him in every way possible.

The patience of the black market boss was limited and two other times he had already responded to the insolent pet in kind with the consequence of being disciplined by Louis. This increased Reinold's interest in him even more: a furniture that rebelled! Even today he would try to take him over the edge to enjoy his humiliation.

"Hey scarred! This glass is dirty! Change it and bring me a new drink!"

'Don't react - don't fight - close the brain' Katze went over the litany over his head and without looking at him, he took the glass from the pet's hands to execute the order.

He returned a few minutes later with a new drink like the previous one. Reinold took it and watched the blue liquid rattling the icicles.

“This is not the same as I had before! Are you stupid as well as deformed?" the boy said before flying the frozen fluid, throwing most of it on Katze's uniform.

'Don't react - don't fight - close your brain ...'

"Could you tell me what kind of drink you would like on the menu, Sir Reinold?" said the furniture as calmly as possible, fighting against his own disposition to remain calm.

“Do you really think I'm so stupid? I want the same I was drinking before. Go and get it immediately!"

Katze took the now empty glass back. He cursed himself internally for the damage to his uniform. He could not go around in a dirty and wet uniform and he should have found a way to change quickly.

He decided to try with a mint cocktail ... green and blue were quite similar colors. He still did not notice the tall blond Elite who stared at him attentively.

He returned to the table and handed the glass to his nemesis that took it with a sadistic smile.

“How do I know you're not trying to poison me, scarred? Who assures me that you haven't added anything to the drink?"

Having said that, he poured the entire contents of the glass on the floor.

"Drink it!" he ordered "So you will prove that you have not tried to take drugs!"

Katze took a deep breath. 'Don't react - don't fight - close your brain ...'

“Sir Reinold, the drink is clean. I would never dream of tampering with it or wanting to cause harm to you."

"Then drink it, furniture!"

The pet yanked Katze by the lapel down to ground level.

'don't think - close your brain - pretend it's not you ...' Daniel's advice. He had to hold on those words!

Katze brought his mouth close to the floor trying to get away from his own body and started sucking on the sweet drink.

"Good little dog." said the euphoric pet and with the aim of boasting his victory he stroked the red head.

The spark struck when Reinold's hand reached the scar, groping it curiously. Katze jumped up and clasped his hands tightly around the pet's neck, lifting him off the ground. "Don't touch me again, filthy sewer rat!" The man hissed in anger.

Reinold was unable to speak and his face was going from red to blue. With his hands he tried to loosen the hold on his neck while with his legs he wriggled trying to regain contact with the ground. Someone pushed the alarm button and in less than a minute two guards arrived and hit Katze with an electric shock forcing him to let go.

The furniture folded in on himself in the throes of the shock and Reinold collapsed simultaneously on the ground, red and angry. Louis, who had received a notice of unrest in the lounge, arrived immediately.

"What happened?" he asked when he saw Katze and the pet on the ground.

"The furniture was surprised while attacking this pet, Mr. Louis." said one of the guards.

The chief of furnitures sighed.

"He will be subject to adequate disciplinary measures." he assured the guard and nodded to Katze, who in the meantime had recovered from the blow, to get up and follow him.

Reinold, who was clutching his sore throat with his hands, shouted “Punish him here! The furniture attacked my life! I want to assist!"

Louis looked at him darkly. “This is absolutely contrary to the regulation, pet. We have places specially designed for this." He said dryly.

"Punish him here! Or I will tell my Master that he tried to kill me, so he will order his elimination!"

Louis could not risk this happening seriously.

"Furnture D-2436 puts your palms against that wall!" He finally ordered.

Katze nodded. He took his position and closed his eyes.

Louis pulled the birch cane from his belt. It was a medium thickness stick, massive and slightly elastic. It did not break the skin but was able to cause intense pain and signs that would remain for a few days.

“Furniture D-2436 you will receive 15 barrel shots for violation of rules 16 and 42 of the code. You will count them out loud."

Katze made sure that his grip on the ground was secure. Then he nodded as if to say he was ready and he could start.

Louis took the first blow on the thighs. The category leader avoided the back because it was easier to cause damage to bones and muscles, preferring less delicate areas such as the buttocks and thighs.

"One" Katze said without any deflection in his voice.

The second snap landed on the lower back.

"Two" he said again in a controlled and stable way.

The third blow returned to the thighs. Louis tried to alternate the zones in order not to overload the same point.

"Three" The voice was now slightly strained.

After the fifth, Katze couldn't avoid a groan every time the blow came. Counting the numbers had become difficult because his throat tended to close and the air struggled to arrive.

After the tenth the moans became screams. The Numbers had become a screeching whistle. Katze struggled to keep his legs still and his body collapsed with every snap.

"F ... f ... ifteen" he finally pronounced with watery and dilated eyes and breathing gasping and tired. Louis put the stick back in the case.

“Retire to your lodgings, Katze, you are entitled to half an hour of rest before resuming your duties. Then go to my office, you will be assigned to another area."

The furniture nodded. “All right, Sir Louis" he said with all the voice he managed to extract. Then he headed for the exit. The first steps a little uncertain but then he recovered stability. He never noticed the angry-looking blondie who had watched the whole scene and clenched his now chipped glass with his fist.

Later, after changing clothes and resting a little, Katze entered Louis' office. The latter looked at him sternly.

“It is already the third time that I have to punish you always for reasons related to the pet’s salon, Katze. When you repeat the same offense, I have to increase the number. The first time there were 5 shots, the second 10 and today 15. How many more do you think you can tolerate before you review your attitudes?"

"I'm sorry Sir Louis." Katze said simply, taking up his apathetic and detached air.

Louis took the floor again. “You know very well that I cannot avoid assigning you the salon from time to time. Nobody likes that place. I can't do favoritism for you, you have to learn to control your impulses.

I saw the surveillance videos. Do you think to be the first forced to bring back the same drink several times or to drink from the ground? The rules are simple. Put your pride aside and follow them! Should anything be asked of you that puts your safety in danger, the guards will intervene but until then you must obey.

And to make matters worse, a serious precedent has now been created. From now on, all pets will want to see disciplinary sessions administered in public. Thank you that Jupiter wants you alive because I have seen furnitures being eliminated for much less than what you did."

Katze thought amusedly of that statement. Oh yes, Jupiter wanted him alive to keep Raoul in check. He really should have thanked it.

"I will try to control my impulses, Sir Louis." the auburn-haired man finally answered.

The category leader sighed resignedly. "You are assigned to clean the cellars of sector M starting from this moment, Katze, go immediately."

The furniture bowed and left the office.

***

Daniel waited for Katze to arrive in the canteen that evening but the young man did not show up.

He had heard of the punishment given to him in the pet’s salon. In fact, all the furnitures in their sector knew it. It was a very serious fact because it was the first time that one of them was being chastised in public and this had raised a fuss of concern.

As soon as he finished eating Daniel took a plate with meat and salad and placed it on a tray with a slice of bread, an orange, a glass of water and cutlery. Than with that in hand he made his way to Katze's room.

He knocked a few times. At the third the door opened.

"Hello!" Daniel exclaimed smiling "I brought you dinner!" he added showing the tray.

Katze was truly surprised by that visit. He hadn't gone to the common room not because he wasn't hungry but because he wasn't in the mood to face the looks of the other furnitures after the show he offered.

"Thanks," he said taking the tray. "Come in if you want," he added after a while, inviting him to come in.

Katze sat on the chair with a grimace of pain that did not go unnoticed in Daniel's eyes and with the tray resting on his legs he began to eat. The other furniture sat on the edge of the bed.

The brown-haired young man took courage and spoke.

"You know, I brought a cream that is miraculous for your ... bruises. If you want, after you finish eating, I can help you apply it. It will help you work better tomorrow. The pain is felt more the next day. "

Katze was surprised again. He was not used to receiving kindness. Not even before, and least of all since he was a servant of Eos.

"Okay, thank you." Finally he said, leaving aside his usual and inevitable distrust and trying for the first time to trust someone.

Katze was used to taking care of others, not being cared for. The only exception had been that time when Raoul had treated him after Iason's misunderstanding but in that case he hadn't had much choice. The blondie had certainly not asked for permission.

After the meal, he took off his pants and lay on his bed on his stomach. Daniel applied the ointment, spreading it on the bruises and the purple marks in the thighs. He also wanted to heal the bruises on the back but they were covered by the slip.

“Do you want me to leave you the jar? Your back looks bad. Maybe you can apply it on your own ... "

Katze tried to imagine himself trying to apply the cream in a decent way in those places without even a mirror to look at himself and came to the conclusion that it would have been decidedly impractical.

"I would prefer if you help me" he finally said with a little embarrassment "can you ... lower it?"

Daniel agreed relieved. He lowered the elastic waistband of the briefs until it was brought under his buttocks and smeared the ointment on his battered back. Then he blew a little to dry it faster and put the underwear back in place.

"What is that cream you spreaded on me?" asked the man lying on the bed after a while. "It's pleasant. I feel better already."

"The Elite from whom I am in service gave it to me," replied the young man, "he used it to take care of his own furniture, who was in rather bad shape."

Daniel handed the jar to Katze to show him. The latter opened it but when he approached his nose to smell it he had a flashback. He immediately sat up with a distraught expression on his face.

"Raoul!" he said accusingly "this is Raoul's ointment! The Elite you serve is Raoul!"

The other boy, caught out, looked down cursing himself. He never thought that a jar of ointment would reveal the blondie's identity.

"You ... you shouldn't have ... found out ..." he said in a low voice.

Katze withdrew, suddenly annoyed by Daniel's closeness. He stood up and abruptly put on his trousers.

He was angry. No, furious. He had trusted someone for the first time in his life. He had believed that the other's feelings were sincere. He had even exposed the nakedness of his body and soul. Instead Daniel was just a messenger from Raoul. All he had done was because the blondie had asked him, not out of sincere interest.

Not that he minded having a means to connect with the blondie, far from it. He had been very worried about Raoul since he learned that Jupiter had confined him to Eos and hadn't left his apartment in weeks, but not like that! Daniel had betrayed his trust making him believe that he really cared about him.

“Say hello to Raoul from me. Now if you don't mind I would like to be alone." He said irritably and coldly, opening the door and pointing to the exit. Daniel was mortified and still sitting on the bed.

"I ... I'm sorry Katze. I should have told you."

"Yes, you should have. Now leave!" He repeated in an even more aggressive tone.

"No, wait!! I can't go like this! I have to explain!!" Pleaded Daniel.

Katze resisted the urge to lift him up and push him out the door. "Speak!" he said instead.

“Raoul asked me to report to him if you were okay and then to try to make contact with you. But I really care about you! All the things I told you were true, I never pretended to lie to you.

I came to you today because I was really worried, not because the blondie asked me to. I haven't seen him since this morning, when could he have asked me to come and relieve your physical discomfort?

I didn't tell you the truth for two reasons: the first is this! I didn't want you to think my interest in you wasn't sincere! The second is that I didn't want to get into trouble or cause it to you or Raoul. You cannot have contacts each other, not even with an intermediary."

Daniel spoke with a pleading look. As if to say 'please let me stay. Don't chase me away.'

Katze was torn. He wanted to believe him, but what if there were other lies? The fear of being betrayed was great. He had melted the ice barrier that protected his heart and now he didn't want to break it. He didn't want to suffer again.

Daniel, in a fit of courage, suddenly got up from the bed and hugged him. A sincere, close grasp. With his cheek resting on the taller man's chin he cried.

"Please Katze don't hate me." He said between sobs. “Don't despise me. You are the only one I really care about."

The safety of the red-haired man faltered. Daniel seemed sincere. And he wanted to believe him, he wanted it with all his soul. He let these feelings go through him and returned the embrace. Then they lay on the bed and remained there in silence to console each other.

Just before 10 p.m. Katze spoke. “You have to go Daniel. You will encounter troubles if you won’t be in your room in less than 5 minutes. "

The young furniture nodded. He had to go.

“Katze I don't want to lose you. Please don't go away." He said one last time.

"I will not" reassured the other. "Now you go!”

The boy slipped out of bed not before holding him close again. Then he silently left the room.

Katze was walking on sunshine for a long time. He felt incredibly light and happy. For the first time in a long period he closed his eyes and fell asleep with a smile on his lips.

***

The next morning Reinold was found naked, tied arms and legs around one of the trees in the garden with his body full of signs and bruises. He had been severely beaten with a massive branch and the same branch had been forcefully threaded into his rectum before leaving him to spend the night in the open.

His Master had rang the alarm when he had not seen him come back the night before but no one had thought of looking for him right in the gardens. The tracer of his pet ring was not very precise and only indicated that he was still within the borders of Eos. He was later found by other pets.

When they tried to question him about who had reduced him to that state, Reinold was unable to answer. He hadn't seen him in the face. All he knew was that he was tall and incredibly strong, and he seemed to glimpse long blond curls under his hood.

The surveillance cameras did not help solve the mystery because the attacker, whoever he was, seemed to know their position well and had moved so that he was never framed. The only clue was the message attached to the other side of the branch, which reported the following threatening writing:

'This is nothing compared to what will happen to you if I catch you mistreating a furniture again."

Rumors of what had happened to Reinold spread very quickly among the pets and everyone was so afraid of being the next one that it was a long time before a pet dared to behave in a boisterous and overbearing way with one of the furnitures again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am working with Callie Paris to check and correct all the old chapters so that the whole story will be written in good English and easy to understand. That's why I'm a little slow with the translations of the new parts. I will notify you when all the chapters have been replaced.


	39. A night like many in Eos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katze and Raoul finally manage to communicate with each other.  
> Daniel confesses a secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

"Lord Am, Katze will be on duty today at 3pm for waste disposal on floor 62."

It was the day following the events of the Oasis salon. During breakfast that morning Daniel asked Katze again about his schedule for the day. This time he had made it clear that he actually needed that information to communicate it to the blondie. Katze had felt excited and frightened at the same time. Raoul wanted to see him! They would meet!

"And what would this 'waste disposal' consist of, Daniel?" asked the biochemist with interest.

“Whoever is in charge of the waste is provided with a trolley containing a board and various containers. The job consists in emptying in the plate the contents of all the rubbish bins of the floor assigned, separating the various materials and distributing them in the corresponding trash cans. It's to encourage proper recycling, Lord Am. "

The blondie, after thinking for a few moments, smiled. Yes, this could be an excellent opportunity.

***

That afternoon Raoul left the apartment and headed for the lift that would take him to floor 62. During the journey, however, he was blocked by someone with whom he was not in the mood to speak with at the time: Orphe Zavi.

"Good morning Orphe" he said trying to be polite but, at the same time, to make it clear that he was in a hurry and couldn't stop to talk.

“Good morning Raoul. Are you going somewhere?" the other blondie asked inquisitively.

"Just a walk." The biochemist answered with a sigh. Apparently he wouldn't cope easily.

“I heard rumors that you started going to unorthodox places, such as pet rooms. Are certain gossip true, Raoul?"

“Oh come on Orphe, we both know that if you are asking me, it means that you have already checked the surveillance videos and your question is therefore purely rhetorical. Indeed yes, someone had told me about that salon and I was curious to take a look. Is there a new Eos law that prevents the Elites from going to the common rooms reserved for pets?"

"There isn't," said the blondie "nonetheless, allow me to externalize my disappointment, Raoul. The fact that you, whose reputation is already seriously compromised and considering that you have not set foot outside your home for weeks, among many respectable places in Eos, choose a pet salon is somewhat surprising, not to say improbable. Why were you there, Raoul? What were you going to do? "

The biochemist took a deep breath to keep calm and cold-blooded.

"No ulterior motive, Orphe, as I said before, it was mere curiosity. Now if you want to excuse me ... "

Raoul tried to pass and end the unwelcome conversation there but Orphe did not seem willing to move forward.

"It seems, Raoul," continued the chief operations officer of Eos in a firm voice "that something unusual happened during your stay in the Oasis salon. One of the D-type furnitures was publicly punished at the request of a pet. Now, this event would not be noteworthy if the aforementioned pet had not been severely beaten by an unknown person at night and his owner, our brother Zeke Bell, was not enraged and looking for revenge."

Raoul appeared genuinely surprised "Oh I'm really sorry for Zeke's pet, I hope you can find the culprit." he said quickly, still trying to make room to move on.

"It happens that," Orphe said still blocking his path, "the victim reported that the person who carried out this personal revenge was tall and strong with long blond curls. Does it mean anything to you, Raoul?"

“I don't think I can help you in the investigation, Orphe, also because your clues could be misleading. Who tells you the culprit wasn't wearing a wig?"

“I suppose you are right, Raoul, nevertheless I just wanted to inform you of the fact that, in order to prevent someone from placing you among the suspects, I destroyed all the records that testify of your presence in the Oasis salon yesterday. Please, from now on, only go to places appropriate to your status."

“Thank you for the unnecessary concern, Orphe. I will try to follow your advice. Now, if you want to excuse me, I would like to continue my perenigration ... "

The chief of Eos stepped aside with a scolding look and Raoul advanced quickly to the elevator. As soon as he entered he let out a sigh of relief. Rapidly he reached floor 62 and began to walk its labyrinth corridors.

He had to ramble for more than half an hour before seeing him. The auburn-haired man was bent over the trolley board with his hands tucked in a pair of rubber gloves as he sorted the rubbish out.

Actually Katze liked that task: it was not tiring, it was difficult to make mistakes, he could carry it out independently and also, thanks to the voluminous trolley he was pushing, he felt protected from disgusted looks or from the risk of being overwhelmed.

When he looked up, he saw him ahead, about ten meters away. Raoul.

The blondie looked at him intently and his magnetic green eyes were incredibly expressive.

There was everything in that look. It seemed to mean 'I'm here. I have not forgotten you. I'm sorry for what you had to go through. You are not alone. We will get out.'

Katze played pretend like nothing was happening and went on with his work so as not to catch the eye. He was slowly pushing the cart without losing sight of the blondie's eyes.

His stomach was tight in a knot. He wished he could get closer, talk to him. He would have had so many things to say to him.

The relationship that had formed between the black market boss and Raoul following their first unfortunate clash of almost eight months earlier was special. Raoul had taken Katze under his protective wing in an almost paternal way. They had gradually moved from an Elìte / ex-furniture relationship to equals.

Katze addressed him without fear or inferiority complexes. He simply called him Raoul and they conversed naturally, exchanging opinions and giving each other advice. He felt respected and the blondie worried about his health, urging him to eat properly and to avoid taking risks while doing his dangerous job. He took care of him. Katze cared.

The man had come to feel some kind of affection for Raoul. He had discovered that the blondie was a complex being. More articulate than Iason in certain aspects.

Iason was easy to understand: he was cold and calculating and was the backbone of all the empire he had built around him. He was magnificent and nobody could compete with his greatness. He appeared divine and impeccable. But he had a weak point: Riki.

With Riki by his side, Iason became weak and imperfect, almost human. He acted on impulse regardless of the consequences. He let himself be overwhelmed by emotions and no longer worried about appearing unreachable.

Katze respected and worshiped Iason. It was more than the furniture conditioning for his Master. It was the awareness that the majestic blondie was the sun and Katze the planet that circled around him. His job was not to serve him, but to live for him. And Katze did it with honor and pride. It was his mission and it made sense of his life.

Raoul was different. Raoul was majestic and terrifying. An undisputed genius of science. But his soul was extremely complex and the points of light and shadow alternated. He was an immensely vulnerable being.

Iason's weakness was Riki, while Raoul's vulnerability was his very essence.

Raoul was thoughtful and cruel. Jealous and compassionate. Offended and elated. Furious and peacemaker. Destroyer and sanator. Fragile and adamant. Ironic and austere. Hesitant and daring. Cold and passionate.

He was all these things together.

Iason was the spearhead of Jupiter while Raoul was its zircon.

Both equally splendid and shiny. Both so humanly true.

The difference lay in the fact that Iason was indestructible but could be annihilated precisely because of his only weakness, while Raoul had so many weaknesses that he could be chipped in a thousand ways, but none of those blows would have been lethal. He would fall ruinously and suffer, but he would always recover. Raoul was resilient.

Iason was not Jupiter's great work. It was Raoul with his many facets. The perfect combination of human complexity and artificial perfection.

No, Katze didn't worship Raoul as he did with Iason. Katze simply cared him.

The eloquent look between the two lasted a long time. Then the blondie pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, casually threw it in the trash bin beside him and walked away.

Katze resumed his work as if nothing had happened. He reached the basket and emptied its contents onto the board.

He separated the glass objects from the plastic, paper and aluminum ones and placed them in the corresponding containers. He gathered all the remains of food that ended up in the staff bucket. Finally, only Raoul's sheet and all that non-differentiable waste remained.

Making sure that no one was watching him or cameras framing him, Katze slipped the piece of paper into the pocket of his uniform and threw the rest away.

He finished his tour and before returning to his sector he entered the toilet reserved for furnitures. Closed in the service cabin he sat on the bowl and read the ticket.

_' Dear Katze,_

_sorry if I didn't have the courage to look for you first._

_The fear of discovering that you had been destroyed by Jupiter or in a physical or psychic state not preferable to death held me back._

_I have no intention of relieving myself of my responsibilities. Your physical and mental well-being are at the top of my concerns._

_As you know, I cannot intervene directly but I will try to do everything possible along other roads._

_Iason is working for us and has assured me that he will be able to get us out of this situation._

_It will take some time. Try to take care of yourself and stay out of trouble without ever putting your soul aside._

_Trust Daniel, he's a good guy. I think he likes you._

_With love,_

_Raoul. '_

Katze squeezed the fragile sheet tightly to his chest. He stared at it for a long time as if to record it in his mind. Then he cut it into pieces, threw it in the toilet and flushed it.

***

That evening Katze and Daniel dined as always on the same table, sharing the experiences of the day (or at least those that could be shared in the presence of prying ears).

The atmosphere was particularly joyful in the mess hall because the news of what had happened to Reinold had spread and all the furnitures had felt partly repaid for the harassment suffered. As if there was a mysterious masked avenger around Eos defending their rights.

Then the two furnitures rose from the table and the red-haired man brought back the trays of both. Daniel gave him a knowing look and together they went to Katze's room and sat down on the bed.

"How did you feel today?" The younger man asked, hinting at his bruises.

"Terrible," Katze replied with a smile "pain in the ass is killing me!"

Daniel was surprised to hear the man, usually so composed, speak vulgarly. He hadn't heard such a language since the Guardian era and many years had passed. Despite the small initial shock, however, he did not mind discovering this hidden side of Katze.

"You know," he said, "today Raoul gave me an industrial quantity of that ointment. He didn't say anything to me but I think ... he was in the Oasis salon yesterday."

"Of course there was," replied the man "who do you think did the job on Reinold?"

"Raoul?" Daniel's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"I would be ready to bet on it!" replied the other amused "Would you like to help me apply the ointment again?" he added then.

"Of course!"

Daniel pulled the jar out of his pocket and Katze stripped off both his pants and briefs and lay prone on the bed.

The other carefully applied the powerful gel, gently covering all the bruises and purple marks.

"Katze have you ever been with ... anyone?" Then he asked shyly.

"You mean sexually?"

"… yes ..." nodded Daniel.

“Yes I have been with someone. But it was not pleasant. It wasn't ... consensual. " Katze answered quietly.

Daniel reacted with concern "You mean that you have been raped?"

"Yes," said the man. "Twice. You know, my job was ... dangerous. It was easy to make enemies. It was almost always fine but some falls were inevitable."

"I ... I'm sorry." Daniel regretted asking that question and recalling certain memories. For a furniture, the mere fact of imagining being intimately united with someone was difficult, but suffering sexual violence would be simply terrible.

"Naaah, don't worry. It's under the bridge.” Katze downplayed it. In fact, it had passed him long ago. "But tell me, why did you ask me that question?"

Daniel blushed and began to move his hands nervously.

"Because I'm ... curious. I had never thought about it before, but since I met you I have wondered if two eunuchs can ... be together."

Katze was still lying on his stomach but upon hearing the other's words he sat up and looked him in the eye.

"Are you trying to tell me that you would like to try?"

Daniel nodded with his heart pounding. Katze put his hand on his face, stroking his cheek

"Okay for me," he said, "we can try to be together."

Looking into his eyes, he brought his face close to him and kissed his lips. A long, chaste kiss. Daniel closed his eyes. His whole body tingled with emotion.

Katze stroked his face again. He started to lower the zip of his orange uniform coat and slowly opened it, then slipped it from his arms. He took off the white T-shirt he was wearing underneath and kissed him on the neck and chest.

They were sweet and slow kisses. He touched his nipple with his lips and went down in a wake to his navel.

Then he himself removed his upper garment - the only thing he wore - and embraced him, their smooth, hairless skins brushing with a shiver. Then he moved his hands over the opening of his pants.

"Can I take it off?" He asked in a whisper.

Daniel nodded and Katze took off his trousers and his briefs altogether piggy. Now the two of them were naked.

The older man gently stroked his smooth and perfect groin.

"They didn't do such a good job with me," he said. "16 years ago medical technology wasn't so advanced."

"Show me." said Daniel.

Katze lay down on the bed to reveal himself and Daniel stroked the area where his penis and testicles were once. There were obvious scars and the scrotal sac had been emptied and left slightly dangling there.

"You are beautiful!" said the young man petting him.

Katze sat up again and started kissing him now with a little more passion.

He licked him on the neck and sucked on his earlobes. He bit his nipple slightly. Daniel let out imperceptible moans of pleasure.

Then he resumed his descent passing through the chest and navel until he reached that white, smooth and androgynous triangle that was his groin.

He began to touch it gently with his fingertips. Then he lowered his mouth to him teasing him with the tip of his tongue in the area around the urethra with soft circular movements.

"Do you feel anything?" Katze asked him after a while, relieving himself of his job.

"I ... I don't know." replied the mortified young man "It doesn't matter. It's nice. I like what you're doing."

The man gently stroked his belly with his fingers.

“There is a way I could give you pleasure, but it could cause you some pain. Do you understand what I mean? Do you want to try?"

Daniel was a little intimidated, but he wanted to do it. "Yes, do it." He said.

Katze invited him to lie down comfortably with his legs slightly open and his knees bent. Then he picked up a good quantity of Raoul's ointment with his fingers and applied it to the small pinkish opening hidden between the buttocks. Daniel shivered because the gel was cold.

"Now relax your muscles." said the man in a persuasive voice, as he massaged and prepared his opening.

He inserted the tip of the middle finger and with that slightly widened the edges of the cavity. Daniel let out a few screams.

"You can feel a little bit of a nuisance," said the other gently, "it's normal, you don't have to be ashamed of it."

Katze sank his middle finger up to the knuckle. Daniel felt a little burning. It was strange that something entered from there.

The man began to massage him gently from the inside.

"Close your eyes," he said "relax. Think of something that makes you feel good."

Daniel tried but couldn't find anything that would bring him joy. Type D furnitures couldn't even go out into the gardens. Their life was dedicated to work. The few pleasures were related to food, those few times that they managed to eat something decent, or the chatter between them but they weren't that exciting. Then he found the object of his desires.

"You," he said, "just being with you makes me feel good"

"Think about me then." Katze replied, and naturally added his index finger to the intrusion.

Then he found that special point that is located just below the bladder: the only way for those like them to get closer to the climax.

He began to massage his prostate. At first slowly and gradually increasing the speed. Every now and then he stopped and then started again.

The annoyance turned into something pleasant. Daniel had managed to relax, had his eyes closed and was breathing regularly.

Then he seemed to be a little frightened and tensed his gluteal muscles. Something strange was going on down there. A feeling similar to the urge to pee.

"Wait up! There is something wrong!" he said, trying to stop him.

"There is nothing wrong," The other reassured him "it's all normal. Do not worry."

Daniel felt that strange feeling grow. He was afraid to wet the bed and tried to cover his groin with his hands. Katze continued his internal massage undaunted.

"Aaah what's going on!" Daniel shouted. That feeling had become too strong.

Suddenly it exploded. The candid young man shouted from the top of his lungs and lifted his pelvis from the mattress in a spasm. The groin throbbed and his heart seemed to want to come out of his chest.

Slowly the ecstasy subsided. It felt wonderful. His whole body was warm and sensitive.

Daniel broke down in tears and Katze lay on top of him and kissed his moist cheek.

"Thanks" Daniel said between sobs "Thanks". He couldn't say anything else.

The man wrapped him between his legs. They stayed that way until curfew, just before 10pm.

The night passed quietly in Eos. Nobody, except two young men belonging to the lower-level human class of the building, who were worth less than material objects, never knew that within those walls it had been carried out the first orgasm of a guy condemned by a cruel system to never know the pleasures of love.


	40. Today as it once was ... or almost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guy gives Raoul some ideas to make his captivity in Eos more pleasant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A light, fun and sexy chapter. To break the tension a little.  
> Language corrections by Callie Paris

A few nights later, still in Eos but several floors higher, a seductive undressed blondie was sitting on the bed and following the instructions given to him by the projected hologram.

\- Good bombon, like this. Pinch your nipple. With more force. Hold it down. -

Raoul had his eyes closed and his lips slightly open.

\- While squeezing your nipple, go down with the other hand. Touch your body until you reach your rod. Yes love, like that. Mmmmh your cock has become very hard. Touch it for me. Stroke it all from the balls to the tip. -

Raoul carried out all of Guy's indications. He was in the center of the bed, sitting with open thighs, legs bent and the soles of the feet joined together in front.

\- Play with your balls. Take them with the palm of your hand and vibrate them together. Spit on the fingers of the other hand and with those rubbed the tip. -

Raoul moaned. So directly stimulating his red and uncovered glans made him jump.

\- Oh love, look how your cock is crying. Now pump it. Imagine fucking me in the mouth. Yes like that. Faster. You're going to burst! You're wonderful! -

Raoul had to change his position. He put his feet on the mattress and moved his pelvis back until he leaned his back on the headboard of the bed.

He started pumping vigorously, while with his eyes closed he fantasized about seeing his organ disappear inside Guy's oral cavity.

He imagined Guy's head bent between his legs, his long unbound brown hair spread over his thighs and the slumdog who looked at him eagerly as he lowered and stood up on his rod holding it with his lips.

He came with a cry, placing his feet on the mattress, raising his pelvis and pulling his head back. The jets of his pleasure were accompanied by as many spasms of his body. His right hand ended completely covered in sperm.

After a couple of minutes of recovery he started to get up to go to wash.

\- Stop! - ordered the voice from the communicator resting on the bed - We have not yet finished, bombon. Don’t move from your position. Don't miss a single drop of that precious fluid. Collect everything you can and spread it on your anus. -

Raoul was slightly displaced by the request, but obeyed.

\- Goood, so! Look how much delicious cream you made! How I wish you had come inside my mouth and drunk it to the last drop! Now open it with your fingers. Get inside yourself. Soften your sphincter with the lubricant that you yourself have produced. Move the communicator closer, I want to see it better. -

Raoul took the electronic device with his left hand, which was still clean, and positioned it right in front of his intimate area, directing the video camera so that his exposed and smeared with semen rectum was in the foreground. The holographic image of Guy's lusty face was now really close. His desirous eyes seemed to want to pierce with the look.

\- Now open it for me. Spread it as far as possible, you must be able to insert four fingers! -

Raoul massaged the well-lubricated orifice loosening and softening it. Soon the fingers became three and the fourth also easily entered.

Guy bit his lips.

\- Now give yourself pleasure, my love. Find the point that drives you crazy. -

Raoul panted and tried to go deeper. It was difficult to maintain that complicated position. The pressure on the anal walls had stimulated the nerve endings making him hard and excited again.

\- Nnnngh ... I can't ... I can't. - He finally said surrendered and dissatisfied. He wanted to be filled and sent to heaven by the deep and violent movement of Guy's penis. The mongrel looked at him helplessly.

\- Love, you don't know how I want to be there. Fuck you and make you scream enough to shock all those aristocratic gentlemen who live in that damned tower. Your cock is wonderfully big and hard again. Pump it slowly with one hand and with the other continue to stimulate your anus. -

The blondie obeyed. He spat on his left hand and started masturbating with it. Soon he groaned, his body shuddering and wincing, until he reached climax again accompanying each white jet with a liberating cry.

Raoul lay down exhausted on the bed. Now he no longer even cared about going to get rid of the semen that smeared his hand and body.

\- Love, you are so sensitive. So responsive. I love how you react to stimulations. You're so beautiful when you cum for me! -

Nobody at that moment, except perhaps the walls of Eos Tower, if it had a soul, could have seen the irony of that situation.

Several years earlier, in that same penthouse, another Blondie and another mongrel had behaved similarly but with roles reversed.

Yesterday the mongrel, prisoner and in chains, was forced against his will to take pleasure to satisfying the voyeuristic and dominant instincts of his blondie master.

Today, however, the Blondie, of his own free will and without any kind of constraint, brought himself to pleasure by satisfying the voyeuristic instincts of his mongrel master.

Raoul absently wiped his hand on the silk sheet. Then he took the communicator and brought it in front of his face.

\- I miss feeling you inside me - He said to the man, his face was red and some gold curls were stuck on his perfect sweaty forehead.

\- Bombon you need something to satisfy you. It can take several months before being together again. -

The blondie frowned in confusion.

\- Something to satisfy me? What do you mean? -

\- Some toys, - replied the man seriously. - How about a nice dildo? -

Raoul opened his beautiful green eyes wide. He had no idea what he was talking about.

\- And where can I find these artifacts? -

\- Love, here in Ceres and Midas I could list you more than a couple of places, but I have no idea how it works in Eos. There must be a sex aid store with all the pets you have there. Maybe in the same place where you bought that whip that left Riki so shocked? -

Guy smiled, he liked to make fun of him for that matter.

\- Enough of this story! As I have already explained to you, I don't usually go around with torture items hidden under my dress. I had just bought it in a Midas shop because I had seen it in the showcase and I liked the inlaid on the handle. - he replied offended - Anyway, let me think ... -

He remembered that, in fact, there was a shop inside the tower where they sold whips and other discipline items, as well as chains, handcuffs, ropes, aphrodisiacs and pet clothes. It was very large and well stocked. Maybe he even had items like that, the Blondie never got into it.

\- And let's say that I can find a place that sells this particular kind of item, what exactly should I take? - He asked.

Guy thought.

\- Mmmmh I think you have no budget limits, right? You need a dildo, a plug and a vibrator. Please make sure each of them is specific for the anus!

The dildo has the shape of a penis with a suction cup underneath to be able to attach it on various surfaces and play to insert and remove it.

The plug has a teardrop shape with a base and is used to prepare you for penetration and to give you a feeling of fullness. It remains fixed inside the body. You can also wear it under your clothes while doing other things or in public, nobody will realize it..

The vibrator is similar to the dildo, but it is electric. Pushing some buttons it lights up and starts vibrating in various ways.

Buy these three objects! Or better, take them in various sizes, forms and materials, so you can try and figure out which ones make you feel the most pleasure! -

The blondie seemed very interested in that explanation.

\- And tell me Guy, will it be like having you inside me? -

The young man challenged his eyes to the video camera.

\- Hey don't discount me, bombon. I can never be replaced by a piece of plastic. But it will help you get closer to the fulfillment you are looking for and more pleasantly overcome these months in which we must stay far away. -

After greeting each other carefully, Raoul turned off the communicator and went to take a shower. Under the jet of hot water he tried to imagine the shop assistant's face in front of a Blondie who was stocking up on sexual toys. Inconceivable. He couldn't even use the excuse to say they were for his pet because everyone in Eos knew he didn't have one. He should found another way to get them.

***

The next morning Daniel arrived at 8 o’clock, as always extremely punctual.

The young man bowed respectfully and ran to the kitchen to carry out his duties, as always with his eyes turned to the ground. Raoul often wondered how he managed not to crash into the walls.

However, in the last few days it had seemed to him that Daniel was more relaxed. Sometimes he smiled alone dreamily and was also a little distracted. The blondie hoped he wouldn't make mistakes that would then require him to pretend to punish him.

He called his furniture. Benson appeared at the door of the laboratory, where he was dusting.

“Benson, I would like to bring forward your electrotherapy session today. You will start immediately. When you are finished you will accompany me in the commercial sector of Eos, I want to make some purchases. "

"Sure Master." replied the green-haired young man.

He took off his shirt and sat on the desk. Raoul applied a gel to the electrodes and placed them in various strategic points in the lumbar area of the furniture. Then he activated the 60-minute timer and turned on the machine.

Benson believed that hour of therapy was extremely boring, each time he couldn't wait for it to end. The temptation to move the timer hands was great, but so far he had always held back. The Blondie would surely have noticed.

He had time to think. That request from Raoul was really strange. His Master had never been interested in shopping, for whatever he delegated. And the few times he had personally made a purchase he had certainly not wanted to be accompanied.

At the end of the hour, Raoul removed the electrodes and helped Benson to wipe off the gel remains with a towel.

"Get ready. We'll be out in 10 minutes "

***

The commercial sector of Eos was a floor of the tower dedicated exclusively to the sale of the most disparate objects.

It was mainly frequented by Elites and pets, but occasionally there was also some furniture sent to run errands on behalf of their masters.

There were jewelers, art shops, places dedicated exclusively to pet rings, Elite clothing boutiques, book retailers, electronic devices shops, exclusive and extravagant foods restaurants, tobacconists, antiques shops and much more.

Among these stood out "The Eris and Eros shop", which was precisely the place where Benson and Raoul were directed.

Various types of whips, sticks and punitive belts were displayed in the showcase. Rave outfits for performances of pets, handcuffs and chains.

He decided to enter discreetly. Benson followed him perplexed.

He scoured the various rooms, each of them dedicated to a specific sector with a wide range of choices. But nothing resembled the articles Guy had described.

When he finally reached the last, somewhat secluded room, he realized he was in the right place. There were shelves and shelves of phalluses of every material, color and size and many other artifacts of the most disparate form, as well as libraries full of pornography for pets in the form of holographic videos and magazines.

He turned to the green-haired young man.

“Benson, I need to spend some time in this room. Stay on guard at the door and tell me if anyone arrives."

The furniture rolled his eyes. He did not know if it was stranger that his Master needed to spend time in a room dedicated to eroticism, or that he wanted to do it secretly. However, he obeyed the order.

Raoul took about half an hour to choose the products of his interest and write down the codes of them in a notebook. He had selected 30 articles, 10 for each category dictated by Guy, in addition to some vials of lubricating gel with different tastes and characteristics and a magazine on the cover of which there was a male pet who reminded him a little of his mongrel.

Fortunately for Benson no one came near, and the furniture did not have to ring the alarm.

They left the shop. Now Raoul would need someone to make purchases for him. A pet. And the blondie knew exactly where to turn.

Still with his furniture in tow, he headed towards the room with the screens where the footage of all Eos surveillance cameras were reproduced live. He found the object of his desires: a magenta-haired boy with a frightened air and his body still covered with bruises and marks. He was in the spa room, two floors higher.

He told Benson to wait for him in front of the shop they had previously visited and hurried to take the elevator that would take him straight to the pet spa room.

He saw him. Reinold was sitting on a wooden bench inside the sauna. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, the pet ring on his wrist and all over his body still showed, although they had faded a little, the angry signs that the Blondie had impressed on him. His eyes were lost in space and he was rubbing his hands nervously. Perfect! He would do whatever Raoul ordered!

He found the dressing room with the name of the pet engraved in the door and decided to wait for him there.

About 20 minutes later Reinold entered the cabin, closing the door behind him. Immediately the light went out leaving him in the dark. He felt a presence behind him. Then he heard the terrifying voice that had accompanied his nightmares for the past few days.

"Hi Reinold! I hope you haven't forgotten about me. I remember you very well. Everyday."

The pet started to tremble, he was completely terrified. Raoul touched his body and the boy let out a high-pitched, muffled cry.

“How did you behave, pet? Did you follow my advice on how to act in the presence of a furniture? Or maybe you need a review of good manners?"

Reinold started to cry. He wanted to answer but his throat was completely closed.

"I ... I haven't done anything wrong, sir, I swear to you."

Finally he said between sobs when he managed to find his voice.

"I ... I was educated both with my furniture and with those of the salon. I said thank you and please. I tried not to disturb them except for the bare essentials. P ... please sir don't beat me again!"

Raoul stroked his bruised and naked back, making him shiver with dismay.

"You have been a good boy, Reinold, I didn't come to punish you again."

He said to him in a slightly hissing and bleak tone.

“I'm here to remind you that I'm watching you. And to ask you a little favor: as soon as you get dressed, you will take the wallet I left on your chair. Inside there are credits and a list of codes. You will go to ‘The Eris and Eros shop’ on the sixteenth floor and ask the shop assistant to sell you all the items marked with those codes. Then you will leave the shop and deliver the goods to the furniture with short forest-green hair and light pink uniform waiting at the door. You will never tell anyone about these events. Is everything clear Reinold? Do you have any questions?"

"N ... no sir it's all clear. I will do as ordered. Please don't hurt me." The boy was about to cry again with fear.

"Behave properly and you will not receive any harm from me." replied the Blondie sadistically touching his belly.

“One last thing, Reinold: the next time you see the furniture with red hair and the scar on his cheek, you know who I'm referring to, you'll kneel before him and ask for forgiveness aloud. Everyone will have to hear you. Did we understand each other?"

"Yes ... yes sir. Sure sir."

"Good boy. I'll see you soon."

With one last threatening touch, Raoul left the room.

Reinold waited a few minutes motionless. When he finally convinced himself that he was alone, he groped for the light switch and turned it on. Then he slumped to the ground and calmed down a bit.

He saw the wallet in the chair. He dressed quickly, took it and hurried to execute the orders of his mysterious and terrifying punisher.

A little later Benson found himself in front of a pale pet who gave him with shaking hands two bags full of goods and a wallet with the change and immediately ran away. Raoul returned to pick him up a few minutes later with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Well done Benson, let's go home."


	41. Find the courage to let them go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mongrel army is ready. Last nigt in Guardian before marching towards Tanagura.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris  
> Sorry for the delay, but we are almost done correcting and replacing all the old chapters, few are missing!

An important interplanetary coalition has existed for a long time to defend the rights of all intelligent living beings in the universe. This league had long tried to penetrate the socio-political landscape of Amoi, one of the most sadly known planets in the cosmos for the lack of respect for human rights. However, due to the absolute control of Jupiter and the protection of the council of 13 Blondies, their requests were never granted.

Iason, having been at the head of the syndicate for many years, was aware of that coalition and had kept the names and contact details of its representatives in the various planets so that, by the time they had decided to rebuild Ceres and go against Jupiter, he had contacted them for help and collaboration.

The league had managed, within a few months, to recruit large numbers of volunteers from a multitude of different planets, but to land them on Amoi they needed an aerospace port and a place large enough to house them.

For this reason it was essential to take Guardian.

With Guardian, Ceres and New Ceres together they controlled the entire southwestern side of the inhabited part of the planet and had full dominion over the ruins of Dana Burn and much of the desert without Jupiter being able to track their movements.

***

Four months after the Guardian conquest, the first spaceships began to land.

All the territory above the ruins of Dana Burn and a portion of the desert south of Guardian had been turned into a spaceport. Iason's plan was starting to take shape.

In addition to the recruits, generals and some political leaders of the movement, weapons and equipment of all kinds also arrived.

Word soon spread through Midas that Ceres was upgrading his army and intended to attack Tanagura. Thus, many Amoian citizens opposed to the dictatorship of Artificial Intelligence also decided to enlist. They marched to the borders of Ceres saying they wanted to join their cause and were allowed to pass as far as Guardian.

As the weeks went by, that army of mongrels, inhabitants of five different constellations and citizens of Amoi had grown boundless.

Six months after Guardian conquest, seven months after Katze and Raoul's detention, and more than a year and a half after the Dana Burn explosion they were finally ready to advance towards Jupiter Tower.

***

The night before the big day Aylin had a bad quarrel with Gideon.

The Onyx/Blondie had demanded her to sit at his feet, as she did every day, and let herself be pampered. But the girl had something else on her mind. This could have been her last night with Sid. It could have been the last day of life for any of them and she would have liked to be out with the other soldiers rather than locked up in the luxurious apartment pretending she was still a pet.

Gideon, offended by the refusal, had tied her leather collar around her neck and she had ripped it off. She had shouted at the Blondie that she hated him and to hope that at least one of them would die tomorrow, so that one way or another she would be free.

The Blondie was shocked by that outburst. He adored Aylin, and being told by his protegé that she would rather die than continue being his pet hurt him deeply. Instead of letting out the sadness that those words had caused him, he reacted with anger. He grabbed her by the wrist and locked her in a small utility room with a cot and told her she would stay there until the end of the war.

The girl was furious. She screamed, hit the door, and destroyed that bad copy of a bed. Then, late at night, when she was sure everyone was asleep, she pulled one of the springs from the rumpled mattress and used it to force the lock - a move she had learned from Sid.

Quietly she left the apartment and headed for the pavilion of her gray-haired friend. She searched for his bed in the dorm, zigzagging among the sleeping mongrels that snored loudly.

Finally she saw him. She silently approached the young man and shook him slightly to wake him up.

"Sid! Sid please wake up!"

The other opened his eyes with difficulty.

“Aylin what are you doing here? And… dressed like this! Did something happen?"

The girl was still wearing the women's clothes she usually wore only inside the apartment.

“I'm sorry Sid. This… could be our last night together. I want to spend it with you!" she simply said in a low voice.

The young man nodded. He had already thought about it. He had been looking for a way to declare himself for days.

In the end he had decided that he would challenge the Blondie once the war was over: he would confess to him that he loved Aylin and forced him to give up on her. If necessary, he would fight him. Surely his chances of winning would have been very slim but they would have been sold dearly.

"You're right," he replied. "Come with me, let's go somewhere else."

He slipped out of bed wearing only a pair of shorts, and both of them walked barefoot to one of those hiding places known only to them where they used to fantasize for hours.

Once alone, Aylin was not mysterious in her intentions. She knew what she wanted. She took off her clothes and with only his skin on she pressed against Sid's body to let herself be embraced.

She took his face in her hands and kissed him on the lips closing her eyes and savoring that moment she had wanted so much.

Then they lay down on the carpet. They caressed, kissed, breathed each other scents.

They united their bodies and their souls and finally they loved each other in that way that was so unusual in Amoi.

A man and a woman.

Together not for show as pets or for reproductive purposes. But only because they wanted it and because they needed each other.

In that moment of rest and complicity that followed their union, the door swung open with a thud.

***

The Blondie listened to the angry cries of the one he held dearly the most. He would have liked to adore her forever, so charming and innocent and at the same time tenacious and rebellious as she was.

But Aylin was moving inexorably away from him. He noticed it every day. His precious pet who he had allowed to live without a pet ring around her neck and who he had granted freedom like no other Master before him had, was refusing him.

Gideon had let Aylin follow her wishes: he had allowed her to become a soldier and to spend her day among the mongrels without controlling her movements.

The only condition was to be able to cuddle her in the evening, that she was his own for a couple of hours every day. It wasn't too much to ask, from the Blondie's point of view.

Gideon needed Aylin and Creek. They were his family, his human beings, those he would protect at the cost of his life. They represented beauty and humanity that made sense to his artificial mind.

When the shouting and banging inside the room stopped, Gideon retreated to his bedroom. He wanted to open that door right away and tell her he was sorry she reacted like that, but he couldn't. He had to maintain a semblance of authority.

A few hours later, however, the Blondie was unable to sleep. The thought of his little girl crying in a corner of that dreary dark room haunted him.

His surprise was great when once arrived to free her, he found the door already opened and the girl absent

Gideon rushed into the room she shared with Creek. The sleeping furniture woke up with a start to a sitting position.

“Where is Aylin? Did you let her out?"

Creek took a few seconds to connect.

“Aaah… no Master. I haven't seen her since last night. Did something happen?"

"Yes. Aylin is not at home." The other answered dryly and slightly anxiously.

Creek decided to get up to help find her. Gideon knocked on Iason and Riki's door, but they didn't know where she could be either.

Eventually everyone went out to look for her in different directions. The Onyx/Blondie was mainly concerned about the state of turmoil in which he had left her, he did not want her to go make some nonsense.

Blondies have much more developed senses than men and, in addition to their notorious superhearing, they also boast an extremely powerful sense of smell. And amidst the traces left by all those crude mongrels living in Guardian, the smell of his Aylin was unmistakable.

Gideon carefully followed that trail, which took him through small, hidden corridors. The search led him to a door from which the trace was clear and direct, but blended with someone else's. A mongrel, for sure.

He kicked it open and burst into the room. What he saw took his breath away.

His pet was with Sid. Both completely naked and an intense smell of semen and female mucus permeated the room.

The two lovers rose quickly to their feet receding at the sight of the Blondie. Gideon threw himself at Sid, wrapping his arms tightly on his torso, just below his shoulders, and lifting him of weight.

“How dare you?” he hissed menacingly, “How dare you copulate with my pet? Betraying your commander on the eve of battle after months of training your fellow men and embracing a cause that was not mine going against my own creator! I trusted you, Sid, and you stole who I have close to my heart from me!"

Gideon tightened his grip on his arms. Something inside it creaked and Sid started screaming in pain.

Aylin grabbed Gideon's arms trying to make him let go, but the Blondie's strength was too much to even be able to move him.

“Master Gideon please let him go! Please! Let him go! It was my fault. I was the one who asked him!"

Since there was no way to affect the strength of his arms, Aylin punched him in the chest and then bit him. Sid's arms were turning black all around the Blondie's fingers and the mongrel was in agony.

“Please Master punish me! He is not at fault!" Aylin began to cry and scream as she tried hard to force the android to let him go.

"Punish you, Aylin?" The Blondie loosened his grip a little, Sid's screams ceased, replaced by groans of pain.

“How boldly do you talk to me like that? Have I ever hurt you? You know very well that I will never be able to harm you. My weakness has come so far! Betrayed by the man I trusted most in the whole platoon and by my own pet!"

Gideon let go of the young man who crashed heavily on the ground. Slowly he sat up and tried to move his aching arms. Then he stood up and gathering his strength and all he could of his voice spoke to the Blondie in a firm and resolute voice.

“General Gideon, I'm sorry I disappointed you. I admire and respect you very much. I never intended to betray you. I love Aylin, my feelings are sincere. And she loves me. This could have been our last night together… please forgive me… forgive us both!

I ... I'll do things right. Once the war is over, I will come to you to formally ask for Aylin's hand. I don't know how these things work. If I have to pay her price, whatever it is, I'll collect the money, buy and then free her. If I have to become a pet too to be able to be with her, I will. I will take my responsibilities. Please Gideon let us stay together!"

Sid before the last sentence knelt down begging. A few seconds later Aylin knelt beside him too. Gideon felt torn apart. He wanted Aylin's happiness, but at the same time he didn't want to lose her. His life would have been empty without her.

"We'll talk about it after the war." he finally ruled "Now take your clothes and go!"

Sid could be satisfied for the moment. He had already been lucky enough to have been discovered by the Blondie and still be alive, although perhaps not completely unscathed. With a last look of apology, he picked up his clothes - which were actually just a pair of boxers - and left the room without even wearing them.

Aylin remained on her knees with her eyes downcast. Her pale skin that shone in contrast to her dark purple hair. The face flushed with tears and agitation.

"It's my fault," the Blondie said, lowering his face to the same level as hers "I shouldn't have reacted like that last night, or tried to force you to do things you didn't want. I'm sorry for having exasperated you so much that you have to seek comfort in the arms of another."

The Blondie put his hand under Aylin's chin to gently lift her gaze. She stared at him with those bright, big eyes streaked with black and purple.

“Master Gideon, it wasn't about last night's fight. I love Sid. I want to share my life with him."

She returned the caress and touched the Blondie/Onyx's face with her thin fingers. Her glittering eyes fixed on his sky-colored ones (Gideon had taken off his black lenses to sleep).

“Master I am grateful to you for everything you have done for me. I have enormous affection for you. But I can't be like that anymore ... for you. I'm no longer the same girl who left the academy. I've changed since we left Eos."

The girl wiped her Master's wet eyes with her fingers.

"You are my pet, Aylin!" The Blondie feared resolve, but his voice came out shattered by emotion.

“Master Gideon, I can no longer be a pet. I don't feel like that anymore. I am a soldier in the Ceres army and I want to become part of this community. I stopped being one the day you removed my pet ring."

Aylin pressed her cheek to Gideon's. Their tears mingled.

“I'm sorry Master. I wish I could have been your baby forever but I… I changed. I want to be free. And I want to be with Sid. Forgive me."

The mighty blondie, former lord of Midas and now commander Noa of the army of Ceres, wept. A desperate and liberating cry fragmented by sobs.

Aylin wept with him hugging him to her chest.

In the end, the intensity of their feelings was such as to leave them dry and empty, united in an intertwining that was not that of a Master and his pet, nor that of two lovers. What they felt for each other had no name or precedent in Amoi.

It was a kind of love, for sure. Strong on both fronts but mismatched.

Aylin loved Gideon like a father, and now she needed to leave the nest to transform their relationship. Evolve it into something more mature. Like any daughter transforming from a little girl to a woman for the love of a man.

Aylin loved Gideon like a father, and Gideon loved Aylin like a daughter yes. But unlike the fathers, who from the day their offspring comes into the world prepare for the time they will have to leave them. Gideon was not prepared for it. He had always assumed that Aylin would be his forever because that was the pet law. It is the Master who decides when to get rid of his possession, not the other way around.

But Gideon, leaving Eos, had freed both his human properties removing the jewel symbol of their slavery and giving them the opportunity to decide for themselves and make choices. And now in spite of himself he would have to face the consequences.

For a few minutes someone else had joined them in the room. The two had not noticed him, so focused on consoling each other.

Creek knelt beside them and stroked the back of his now helpless Master.

Gideon turned to look at him and combed his long blue hair with his fingers.

Would he leave him too sooner or later? Would he eventually lose his two human beings and be left alone with his cold artificial heart?

The Blondie also loved Creek. In a different way, however, with the man he had always been a little more detached and severe.

This is because on the one hand it was his own role that imposed it: a furniture was not a pet and could not be treated as such.

But above all what made the difference was their own character. Creek tended to be weak and vulnerable. He didn't need to be pampered. With his stern attitude the Blondie had tried to temper him and make him stronger and more confident.

Now they were all united in that unexpected and unlikely hug.

In the end, it didn't matter what happened in the future. Today they were together, and everyone will go to the battlefield.

Today, Gideon's job will be to ensure that his army achieve victory and that his two sons come out unscathed. Regardless of what Ailyn and Creek might decide to do in the future.

Gideon will love them anyway, unconditionally.

With this clarity in his heart, the Blondie slipped away from the embrace, picked up Aylin's clothes and handed them to her to wear.

Then the android, the woman and the eunuch returned home to sleep a few more hours.


	42. Tanagura under Siege

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mongrel army invades Tanagura

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

The Tanagura area was a large elevated hexagonal platform surrounded by very powerful and high energy barriers. They were controlled and maintained directly by Jupiter, therefore impenetrable.

To access it, there were four gates constantly monitored by guardian androids: the northern one, which overlooked the official aerospace port of Amoi, the eastern one facing the ocean, the western one on the desert and the Main gate, to the south.

The Main gate was the one that Tanagurians commonly used to travel to Midas and the other way around. It led directly to Zone 1 of Lhassa - Midas' most exclusive - where the residential neighborhood of Apathia and the casino were located. This gate, being the most used and constantly crossed by vehicles and pedestrians, was always open both day and night and well protected by guards who had the task of stopping anyone who was not in possession of the appropriate authorizations.

The most logical point to attack would have been the gate to the west, the closest to Guardian and least used because the desert was a very unappetizing touristy destination for the inhabitants of Tanagura … but it was also the most obvious.

Everyone in Amoi knew that Ceres' army would launch an attack at any moment and it was generally believed that they would use that entrance. Although their forces counted on a large number of elements (many more than Jupiter could have ever imagined) it was essential to exploit the surprise effect, which would have been impossible if they had chosen the most discernible way to enter.

Iason was aware of information that most of the inhabitants of Amoi including many of the other Elites ignored. One of these was the Karaza Network.

The Karaza Network was a series of underground passages that spanned under both Tanagura and Midas, connecting emergency shelters and escape routes. These tunnels were not marked on any map and were known only to a select few.

The tunnels beneath Tanagura were sometimes used by the major Elites, with the permission of Jupiter, for missions that required absolute secrecy and discretion. The Midas underground tunnels, on the other hand, were practically abandoned. A web of dark, damp and rat-overrun caves. Of no interest either for Jupiter nor the council.

One of these passages connected Herbay with the main square in Area 1 (Lhassa), a few hundred meters from the Main Gate.

Obviously Jupiter and some major Blondies were aware of this, but none of them would ever have imagined that an army composed of mongrels or an extra-planetary tycoon like Minosi Kan could possess such information.

Nonetheless, the Karaza Network alone would not have been enough to get the surprise effect they needed. A smokescreen was also required.

So that morning a platoon of about 2000 men (corresponding to less than 1/3 of the total army) noisy and equipped with flashy means of locomotion, led by one of the coalition's interplanetary generals, advanced in the direction of the gate located on the west side of Tanagura.

The rest of the army, led by General Noa, secretly and silently entered the Karaza tunnels. In the second row, close to the main action and just behind the general, there was the mysterious Minosi Kan followed by Riki and Sid. Creek (who had started training alongside the other soldiers in the past few months) was centrally placed with Luke. Aylin, Norris and Maxi in the back.

They carried light and handy, but very powerful weapons: mostly precision laser rifles capable of covering great distances, but also hand grenades, edged weapons and electrified sticks for hand-to-hand combat.

When Lambda 3000 noticed from its tower that a platoon of 2000 men was advancing towards the west entrance, the Artificial Intelligence immediately ordered to send almost the entire army of Tanagura to protect that gate, leaving the rest of the perimeter (including the Main Gate) pratically unguarded.

As soon as Iason received the signal from the west entrance that the Tanagura guards had begun to counterattack and give way to defensive measures, the army of Ceres emerged from the Lhassa exit and all the soldiers ran towards the Main Gate.

The few remaining guards did not have time to close it. The vanguard platoon composed of 15 mongrels (including Sid and Riki) riding very fast aerobikes entered Tanagura and knocked them out.

A few minutes later the rest of the army began to access. In their haste to try to close the gate none of the guards had rang the alarm.

All the Tanagurians and Midasians who happened to be passing by at that precise moment turned away from the road and took refuge inside the shops or behind some shelter.

It didn't take long before the entire group of 5,000 Ceres soldiers was inside the barrier without receiving any kind of resistance. By the time the forces defending the west entrance were finally notified that the intrusion had taken place elsewhere, it was too late. Jupiter’s guard counted about 1500 well-trained androids but was in a clear numerical minority.

The clash between the two fronts took place halfway between Eos Tower and the Main gate. Both suffered heavy losses but Ceres's army prevailed and advanced to the heart of Tanagura.

At that point Iason ordered to proceed with the most important part of the plan: the cutting of all the power lines that sent energy to Eos Tower, Jupiter Tower and Parthea. The mighty Blondie knew the locations of all cables and receivers and had given clear instructions to the men who would be involved in this mission.

The team in charge of this task scattered, each man towards his goal. Soon the three buildings symbolizing the power and splendor of Amoi found themselves energetically isolated. The emergency generators activated immediately and all converged to the dome of Jupiter Tower to keep the Supercomputer alive.

Iason had foreseen this too. The generators of Eos Tower, Parthea and Jupiter Tower together could have sustained the AI for up to two weeks, but everything else would be left without power.

Inside the three towers everything worked electronically: the water system that sent water to the various sectors, the elevators, the machinery for heating and producing food, the opening of doors and windows, the air conditioning, the production of oxygen, the locomotion vehicles and much more.

Eos Tower without electricity was simply a tall and impressive building consisting in a structure and a roof, but it was almost unlivable.

As soon as Jupiter found itself supported only by the emergency generators, it was forced to lower the barriers of the city because keeping them raised would have required too much energy. As soon as this happened, the platoon that had served as a decoy also entered from the west side and went to join its comrades.

A large military camp was set up all around Eos tower and the remaining areas of Tanagura were constantly monitored with surveillance patrols. Now all that remained was to wait for Jupiter's move.

***

In the luxurious apartment located on the top floor of the Eos tower, the lights suddenly went out. 'It’s the moment!’ thought Raoul.

The Blondie, previously warned by Guy, had left the door of his apartment and the window that led to the terrace open, so, even without electricity, he was free to go out and oxygen could enter.

Benson was also aware of the events, as were Daniel and Katze. A shiver of excitement filled him as he realized that the plan he had been told almost as if it was a children's fairy tale was becoming a reality. Katze and Raoul's friends had invaded Tanagura and were coming to rescue them!

They both went out onto the balcony and looked down: Eos Tower was very tall, but they could still see the mongrel soldiers. They were surrounded.

The two began to descend the stairs of the tower. It was early afternoon and the outside light from the windows was still strong. Things would get worse in a few hours as the sun would go down.

Great was the agitation among the inhabitants of Eos: most of them had not yet understood what had happened, the only certain thing was that nothing was working anymore. The doors did not open and many were unable to access their apartments or were trapped inside.

Raoul went to look for Orphe. He found him in his office (whose door was fortunately almost always left open).

"Raoul!" exclaimed the Blondie when he saw his brother approaching “There has been a blackout and the emergency generators are not working. I am trying to send an alarm to the tower of Jupiter but I have no signal. "

"Did you look out of the window, Orphe?"

"Out of the window? No! Why?"

The mighty Chief Operations Officer of Eos approached the glass wall of the room and great was his amazement when he saw the tide of mongrels surrounding them, the camp of military tents being raised and the many vans and war vehicles approaching.

"By Jupiter, what's going on?" Finally he asked in dismay.

“We have been invaded, Orphe. They cut off the electricity. The emergency generators are not working because they are keeping Jupiter alive." The biochemist answered.

The other Blondie had to sit down to keep from losing his balance. The situation was dramatic. No one would come to help them.

"What do I have to do?" he finally asked. He was not prepared for such a crisis.

“In the meantime, we need to dissipate the panic out here and gather everyone in one room until we have some light. Then we will have to try to understand who is trapped in the quarters and try to get in touch with them."

Orphe agreed. They immediately went to Louis and thanks to his help they managed to assemble almost all the furnitures of type C and D. Then, the same furnitures searched every accessible corner of the tower and gathered in the auditorium all the living beings they could find.

At that time almost all the Elites were at Jupiter Tower, Parthea or Midas for work or leisure. Besides Orphe and Raoul there were no other Blondies. Only a few Onyx and Ruby, an Emerald and a few guardian androids were present but mostly they were all furnitures and scared pets.

Orphe spoke aloud, explaining that they did not know when the power would return and that until then it was important to keep on calm. As a general rule, everyone would remain in the auditorium. The furnitures of each class would procure all possible cots and blankets, check the water and food supplies, and take care of the pets.

In the crowd, Katze squeezed Daniel's hand tightly, his heart full of excitement.

Orphe, Raoul and the other Elites checked the closed doors of all the lodgings. There were some trapped furnitures and pets, about twenty in total, and two Elites. They had water and food for a few days but if the blackout lasted longer they would not survived.

Since the water system was not working and the toilets were unusable, a latrine room was set up with buckets that the fornitures would take turns emptying. Every drop of water available had to be carefully rationed and used exclusively for drinking.

When the evening came, the inside of the tower fell into darkness. Even the twin moons could not provide any light because they were almost new, reduced to two very thin wedges of silver.

Many of the pets cried because they had never been away from their Masters or in a dangerous situation. Some of them did not even have their own service furnitures to accompany them because they were outside the tower at the moment of the invasion or trapped inside the quarters, and were completely alone.

One of these was Reinold. The boy was crouched in a corner with the blanket on, his expression scared and watery eyes. The darkness was such that he could not see within an inch of his nose.

When a flashlight beam illuminated him, he covered his eyes with his hand. Then he recognized the man who had approached him. It was Katze.

Since the day he had publicly apologized to him several months ago, there had been no more arguments between them. Reinold had become respectful, even helping to put other pets in line when their attitude became too offensive or dangerous.

Katze had secretly begun to take a liking to him, even though they had not spoken to each other apart from a few exchanges of circumstance during the shifts in the salon.

That evening the furniture had seen the boy from afar realizing that he was alone and visibly upset. When darkness fell he decided to take one of the torches and go find him.

Reinold was genuinely surprised to see him in that moment. Katze sat down beside him and put his arm around his shoulders. The pet, initially embarrassed, after a few minutes rested his head on his chest and was finally able to calm down.

The same scene was repeated in other parts of the room: many furnitures had gone to accompany and console the frightened pets. Sometimes without even knowing them.

Or, hidden in the darkness, there were two furnitures of different classes or two pets comforting each other.

One of the Elites, a Ruby, was worried that his two possessions had remained locked up in the apartment and Raoul sent Benson to assist him.

The two Blondies, armed with torches, searched the tower one last time looking for other living beings in difficulty. Eventually they both headed to the top floor penthouse and spent the night there, watching the lights of Midas in the distance from the balcony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was particularly difficult for me to write this chapter because it is very technical. Describing a war is far from what I love to read and write and perhaps I was a little too succinct, but it was necessary and I hope I was able to describe quite clearly how the mongrel army managed to take Tanagura and put Jupiter into difficulty.  
> If you have any comments or suggestions they will be very welcome. Kisses!!


	43. Love’s proof for Raoul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jupiter and the mongrel army agree an armistice.  
> Raoul manages to hide his secrets from Jupiter but the price to pay is high.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys and girls (even if I know that we are almost all women), here is a new update. A small note: in the previous chapter I wrongly wrote that the military camp had been set up all around the three towers. This is wrong. The camp (represented by the yellow circle in the map inserted at the beginning of the chapter) actually stands all around the Eos Tower alone while the rest of Tanagura is guarded by reconnaissance patrols. The light blue circle instead represents the area constantly controlled by the guards of Jupiter to protect the Supercomputer.  
> Eos Tower and Jupiter Tower seem to be close together, but in reality there are several kilometers between them (if you look at the map, the distance between them almost corresponds to the width of an entire district of Midas).  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, if you want to step in with any comments, considerations, questions or anything else please do so, it's a bit sad not to see any feedback. Doing this translation is a demanding work but interacting with you is my motivation to move forward. Thanks as always to Callie Paris for her hard work in correcting my mistakes. See you soon!!

Shortly after sunrise Riki peeked out of the tent: Eos stood right in front of him in all its merciless magnificence. He looked up with melancholy but could not see the terrace from which every day he observed for hours and hours the frenetic daytime life and the magnetic nightlife of Midas from afar, with all those fascinating flashing lights, while he emptied whole packs of cigarettes.

Iason was still asleep. Riki picked up his artificial leg from a corner of the tent and moved it close to the air mattress. By now it was customary for him to retrieve it from who knows where in the morning and bring it close to the bed: his Blondie used to throw it a moment before getting intimate with him, and the night before they could not help but celebrate the good successful attack. Happiness, however, muffled by the losses they had suffered. The day before, during the fight with Jupiter's guards, almost 300 of them had lost their lives and just as many had been more or less seriously injured.

Their bodies had already been taken to New Ceres in vans during the night where they would be buried and commemorated. The wounded were also brought home and among them were also Maxi and Luke: the first with a stab wound on the chest and the second with his left hand mangled by a grenade. They both got into the wounded van with smiles on their faces.

"Hold on for us too" they told "you are the hope of Ceres and of all the humanity of Amoi."

Riki stepped out of the tent and joined Sid who was nearby, sitting cross-legged on the shiny Tanagura’s metal floor.

"Do you want some?" The gray-haired mongrel pulled a cigarette from the pack and offered it to him.

"Sure!" Riki took it in his hand and Sid held the lighter up to him.

"Were you able to talk to Aylin?" The former Bison boss asked after a few puffs.

"Not at all! The fucking commander has kept her segregated inside the tent the moment they finished erecting it and I haven't been able to see her since the other night. Also Gideon doesn't speak or pay attention to me and I think he's still pissed off."

Sid blew the smoke out as he gazed at Eos' shimmering golden walls and Riki mimicked the gesture savoring the taste of tobacco.

“Listen, for Gideon… give him some time Okay? He's a Blondie, which means it's hard for him to change his habits. It's as if their circuits need to hold on to something to survive, and once they find the target of their cravings, they can't let it go easy.

He'll free her because it's the best thing for Aylin, but you have to give him a way to accept it. Iason let me go twice: the first was when I returned to Ceres after 3 years in Eos. He had done it because otherwise I would have lost myself.

The second was in Dana Burn. Before Katze came to save us he was telling me to leave him there, go away and take Guy to safety. I never confessed it to him but at that moment I had already decided that I would come back for him. I had chosen to die with Iason.

However, the point is that yes, they are extremely protective and nagging, but in important moments they know how to give up and sacrifice themselves. They are more generous than they appear to be. "

Sid said nothing. He wondered if what was between him and Aylin was also as strong as the feeling that bound Riki to his Blondie. Thinking back to the scene of two nights before, he struggled to equate Gideon with a being gifted with generosity ... but on the other hand he had let him live. And he had led the army well so far, he was a good commander.

A few hours later, in the middle of the morning, one of the soldiers came to inform the commander that there was an emissary from Jupiter at the entrance to the camp. The Artificial Intelligence wanted Minosi Kan to go to its dome to communicate the demands of the Ceres army.

Gideon looked at Sid for a few seconds but then sent for Norris, who arrived a few minutes later.

“I have a mission to entrust you with Norris, it is extremely important. You must go to the tower of Jupiter with its emissary and present our requests to the Creator. Just give it the sheet that we will send you. It is not time yet for me and Iason to reveal our identities. Do you feel like doing it?"

The young man swallowed. See Jupiter? Talk directly to the God of the planet? He wasn't sure he could not get it over with but he agreed.

"I’ll do it commander." he said.

He was invited to enter Iason's tent where he received all the instructions and came out half an hour later with a roll of parchment in his hand closed with a seal. He walked towards the entrance of the camp with his back to an angry Sid who, after kicking a stone, went back inside his tent.

The emissary of Jupiter who was waiting for him was none other than the captain of the Jupiter Guards, the Onyx Elite Saurus Finn. The massive android eyed the dark blond human from head to toe.

“You are a mongrel! You are not Minosi Kan!" He said to him with a tone of contempt in his voice.

"Minosi Kan sent me," Norris replied without losing his cool. "and I bring his requests." he said, showing the sealed scroll.

“Jupiter will not be happy with it. Follow me."

Saurus Finn led Norris to the glittering Jupiter Tower. When they arrived in front of the door, the Artificial Intelligence gave up a bit of its precious electricity supplies to open it and allow them to enter. Saurus and Norris walked the countless stairs that separated them from the top and the young man, as he approached, felt the tension rise and the air grow heavier and heavier.

Jupiter Tower and Eos Tower were equal in height, which meant 100 floors. 100 flights of stairs.

In the corridors and behind the open doors there were tired Elites of all kinds with long unkempt hair and sumptuous rumpled dresses watching them curiously and wearily.

After what seemed like an endless climb they reached the dome. The mirror door opened and the Onyx stepped aside to let Norris pass. The man took a deep breath for courage and entered; the door closed immediately behind him.

A soft blue light flashed across the room and the man's hair stood up as if electrified. All around a reverberating hum.

The energy molecules materialize into a shape in front of him. A human figure twice as tall as Norris, neither man nor woman, with an anonymous face and long hair of light. The ethereal being looked intently at him, then reached out to touch his face. Norris winced at the strange sensation, like thousands of ants walking on his skin.

Jupiter spoke.

"My children usually kneel in front of me, but I suppose it would be unusual to expect such courtesy from a human." Its voice was metallic, it made him shiver.

"I ... I'm not your son." The Ceresian replied with courage.

The Artificial Intelligence circled him to observe him well from all sides.

“I requested an audience with your leader. Why has been a simple mongrel sent to me? "

“I represent Mr. Kan. I bring his requests." Norris raised his hand to show the scroll.

"Your name, human?"

“Norris”

“The fact that you are carrying Minosi Kan's requests does not answer my question, Norris. I solicited the presence of your leader, not that of an emissary. Why didn't he come?"

Bison's former member struggled not to collapse under the intensity of his heartbeat.

“Mr. Kan will show himself to you in due course. The time has not yet come."

Something in the air rattled, like tiny crystal molecules shattering. Jupiter was obviously irritated by that answer. The roll of paper magically hovered from Norris' hands to the center of the room, the seal broke and the sheet unfolded. It took the AI a few seconds to read the requests.

"Some of these points can be debated but others are simply unacceptable." The paper was re-rolled and hung in midair.

“I can understand most of your requests, even if I don't approve them. Only one of them surprises me: I am asked for the release of the human named Katze and the suspension of house arrest of my son Raoul and the re-attribution of his rights as Blondie. Why? What do they have to do with your attack?"

Norris tried to remain impassive and answered as he had been instructed.

"Katze is one of us and Raoul is his lover."

The hum in the air grew louder. Jupiter was processing its data.

“Tell your leader, Norris, that I will consider his requests. In the meantime, I want a demonstration of goodwill from you: temporary reconnection of the energy lines of Eos, Jupiter Tower and Parthea for 12 hours, so as to allow my children to leave Tanagura and head to their second homes in Midas. Your war is against me, not them. All the other living beings, on the other hand, will remain inside the towers but will be able to use this time to get water and food and ensure their survival. Raoul Am will have to go to my audience immediately."

Norris listened to the words of the Artificial Intelligence… more or less was what Iason expected and told him in the tent. Except for one detail.

"Raoul ... what do you want from him?" He asked.

"Just a few questions." Jupiter quickly dilated and narrowed its pupils in an eerie way.

"He ... will have to return to Eos before the end of the 12 hours or you will lose any chance of collaboration with us!" the young man said boldly.

“Raoul Am will return to Eos before the end of the armistice still in possession of his life. Now go, Norris of Ceres, tell your leader our agreement."

The humanoid image dissolved and the mirror door swung open; the man went out and found Saurus Finn waiting for him. He was escorted back to the ground floor where, just for a moment, Jupiter let the necessary current to allow the door to open and let him out.

Norris ran across the field to Iason's tent to communicate the outcome of the meeting to the two Blondies. They were both quite satisfied but frowned with concern at the AI's request to talk to Raoul… all of this was suspicious and dangerous. Nonetheless, they could not object.

The message that was announced to the three towers by a loudspeaker from the military camp was the following.

\- WE HAVE AGREED AN ARMISTICE WITH JUPITER

THE POWER WILL BE RESTORED FOR 12 HOURS FROM THIS MOMENT

ALL THE ELITES WHO WANT IT CAN LEAVE TANAGURA AND GO TO THEIR SECOND RESIDENCES, THE ARMY WILL MOVE ASIDE TO ALLOW THEM TO PASS

THE OTHERS WILL HAVE TO STAY BUT THEY CAN USE THIS TIME TO OPEN ALL INTERIOR DOORS AND WINDOWS AND FILL UP WITH WATER AND SUPPLIES

IN FRONT OF THE GATES OF THE THREE TOWERS YOU WILL FIND TANKS AND FOOD STOCKS

RAOUL AM IS IMMEDIATELY CALLED IN HEARING TO JUPITER TOWER -

That said, the electrical connections were reconnected and the three skyscrapers started working again.

When the shiny doors of Eos opened, the first to come out was Raoul himself. Norris and Sid had the task of escorting him to the entrance of the camp, where Saurus Finn was waiting for him.

The Blondie showed all his agitation at the imminent meeting on his face. He looked around and saw Iason and Gideon, well hidden between the tents and positioned so that they could not be seen from either the tower or from outside the camp. He exchanged a knowing glance with them and continued on to his destination.

Saurus greeted Raoul with a nod and invited him to precede him. Chaos reigned in Jupiter Tower: all the Elites ran towards the underground parking lots to get into their vehicles and escape from Tanagura. Among them were also some Blondies and Raoul recognized his brothers Aisha Rosen, Zeke Bell and Marcus Jayd. These, aware of what was the reason for Raoul's presence, looked at him gravely.

The biochemist and the captain of the guards entered the elevator to the dome. The Blondie passed the familiar door and the Onyx waited outside. Jupiter's humanoid form materialized almost immediately and Raoul knelt at his feet.

“Dear son, it has been many months since our last meeting. I suppose you have had enough time to reflect on the inadequacy of your acts in joining carnally and sentimentally with a human. Is that so Raoul? Or are you still prey to sinful thoughts?"

The AI lifted the Blondie's face bringing one of its hands of pure energy under his chin. Raoul looked at it, unable to hide the depth of his disturbance.

“I cannot lie to you, Creator. My awakened organic lobe has never fallen asleep and certain thoughts cyclically return to invade my systems."

Jupiter crossed that diaphanous and perfect face with its fingers, a face that it itself had shaped. That touch, which had been so disturbing to Norris, was almost calming to Raoul: it was the caress of the one who had created and raised him. The touch he had been used to since his birth.

“Open your mind for me, Raoul. Let me access your thoughts."

The Blondie closed his eyes and relaxed his circuits, but made sure that some memories that could not be revealed such as the existence of Guy, the trick by which he was able to communicate with Katze, the truth about Iason, Riki and Gideon as well as his part in the invasion of Tanagura ... could not leak out.

In order not to create suspicions, however, he let his Creator become aware of other potentially dangerous data, such as masturbation and the purchase and use of sex toys and erotic magazines. A loud hum filled the room and after a few minutes Jupiter finished its scan.

“You are withholding information from me, son. You're shielding parts of your brain from my control. Why? What don't you want me to find out?"

Jupiter entered Raoul's mind again, this time in such a violent way that the Blondie's body temperature and pressure dropped suddenly causing him to waver. Despite his weakness, Raoul struggled to keep his secrets hidden and succeeded. Artificial Intelligence freed his mind.

“You keep resisting me, son. Are you going to challenge my wrath? Or will you collaborate of your own free will?"

“I have no secrets… Creator. I'm not hiding anything." Raoul replied, showing a self-confidence that he did not have.

"You are lying!" Jupiter proclaimed, and hit him with a slap causing him to fall to the ground. Seconds later, the Onyx entered accompanied by three guardian androids.

“Trusted guards, my beloved son has turned rebellious and needs to be encouraged. We still have about ten hours to penetrate his will and I count on your help. Saurus, you have received precise instructions from me on how to deal with such an eventuality. You know what you have to do."

The Blondie, still without strength due to the mental invasion suffered, was lifted by the guards, deprived of his clothes and chained by the wrists and ankles with his arms and legs spread apart in a kind of surgical bed magically appeared in the center of the room. Jupiter placed its hand on the Elite's forehead and entered him with renewed violence. Raoul shivered… he felt as if his brain circuits were being crushed.

As Raoul's will was still strong, the AI motioned the guards to proceed. Saurus Finn held a stick whose long, thin tip sent electric shocks and directed it to the sole of the Blondie's foot just as Jupiter proceeded with another mental attack.

Their goal was to distract Raoul's mind with physical pain so that he was forced to release the mental screens that concealed the information Jupiter yearned for.

The Blondie screamed in pain but managed to stay focused. The following discharge arrived on the chest, then on the lips and inside the ear. On his nipples and neck, then again on his feet and the delicate features of his face. Each time the pain of the electric shock was stronger and Raoul screamed with renewed intensity, cried and squirmed but continued undeterred to keep his screens unchanged.

After several hours during which they could not lower his protections, Jupiter wiped the tears from the anguished face of the Blondie with its fingers and kissed him on his swollen and burned lips.

“I'm sorry son, I didn't want to go so far but your stubbornness forces me to cause you more pain than I wanted. Are you still sure you don't want to collaborate?"

Raoul opened his reddened eyelids and looked at his Creator. A flash of fire and defiance flared in the gaze veiled by suffering.

"I understand" agreed Jupiter "Saurus, proceed."

One of the guards lifted Raoul's penis and Saurus placed the torture instrument on his delicate testicles. Raoul screamed louder than he had until now but his defenses did not falter. They lowered the skin of the foreskin and directed the electricity to the exposed glans.

Still not enough, the Onyx slipped the thin metal tip into the urethra. Terror took hold of the Blondie during the seconds leading up to the shock. When it finally arrived, the pain was excruciating and Raoul's screams seemed to precede his own death.

But he survived, and he resisted. The control that Tanagura's powerful biochemist managed to maintain over his brain circuits was amazing.

The guards opened the restraints on his ankles and lifted his knees and brought them to his chest. Raoul was like a rag doll, unable to react in any way.

When his rectum was dangerously exposed, Jupiter spoke.

“From what I have seen, my beloved son likes to be stimulated in that particular part of his body. Dear Saurus, don't skimp on your arts. We give Raoul all the satisfaction he longs for."

The Blondie closed his eyes and braced himself for the worst. The Onyx penetrated the instrument and electrocuted the inner walls of his intestine. Raoul's scream echoed through the hall. Since they didn't get any results, he changed the direction of the tip slightly and continued to torture his guts.

Raoul was now out of breath and his cries of pain came out hoarse and muffled.

The tip of the terrible instrument then focused on his sphincter, the sensitive muscle ring was electrocuted so many times that in the end it was totally purple and burned. Saurus returned to fixate on the genital organ by alternately electrocuting the glans penis, testicles and urethral duct for so long that he damaged it considerably.

Raoul was exhausted and in agony but not once he had let the torment overwhelm him and his Creator penetrate his secrets.

When it was just over an hour before time ran out, Jupiter raised its hand to stop the Onyx and gave Instructions to the three guardian androids. One of them undressed, grabbed Raoul by the hips, directed his penis already erected against his battered anus and penetrated him without hesitation. The Blondie only had time to open his eyes wide and tacitly beg Jupiter not to, but the pain suddenly went through him in a terrible and tearing way.

As the first guard moved in and out of his body in a purely mechanical way, the second carelessly took his penis in his hands and began rubbing it. The friction of the burned flesh caused him an incredible pain, soon the skin began to exude blue blood and the same happened with his anal orifice.

In the throes of spasms Raoul understood ... Jupiter was no longer torturing him to steal his secrets: it was punishing him for his impure acts. It wanted the memory of the pain he was experiencing at the time to dissuade him from doing such practices in the future. Jupiter wanted sex to remain indelibly associated with physical pain in its son's mind.

Almost at the end of the 12 hours of armistice, the Artificial Intelligence proclaimed the end of Raoul's tortures. The androids summarily cleaned him of the blood and dressed him in an equally rough way, leaving him barefoot and putting on his pants and tunic without even bothering about his underwear. Then Saurus carried him on his shoulder, descended the tower and brought him to the entrance of the military camp where he left him unconscious on the ground for the humans to deal with.

A tall man with long straight brown hair gathered in a ponytail came running. He shoved away the soldiers on guard who had gathered around Raoul's lifeless body and was looking at him with contempt.

Guy knelt beside his Blondie and, pushing the soft golden locks away from his face, gasped at the sight of his beautiful angelic face marred by burns on his cheeks, ears and lips. He looked angrily at the other mongrels nearby. None of them seemed willing to help him rescue a troubled Blondie. They hated the Elites because they considered them unimportant machines and they were completely indifferent to their sufferings.

A few minutes later Riki, Sid and Norris joined him. It would have been impossible for them to carry Raoul up to Eos Tower because it was a walk of more than two kilometers, but they managed to load him on a land van with which they got as close as possible to the door. They did the last few meters on foot, lifting and carrying the heavy body of the Blondie all four together. Orphe came out, the only other Elite officially left in all of Tanagura: Eos was his responsibility and he would not abandon it at the most critical moment.

"What happened to him?" He asked the four humans.

“We don't know, Sir. He was left in front of the camp in these conditions." Sid simply answered.

Disoriented by that situation, Orphe paid no attention to the dark-haired mongrel that was with them. He took over his brother's body and went to enter but was stopped by one of the four. A tall one-armed man.

"I'll go in with him, I'm not going to leave him again." He declared.

Guy was very determined. Since he had received the call from Riki, a few hours earlier, which warned him that Raoul had been in audience with Jupiter for too long, the man had rushed out of his apartment, mounted on his aerbike and driven as fast as possible to arrive on time.

Orphe looked at him suspiciously. "And who would you be?" He asked sharply.

"Someone who cares about Raoul." Guy answered simply. The Blondie narrowed his gaze but let him pass. As soon as the three had entered the door closed behind them and the power was turned off. It was 4 am, and soon the twin moons would make way for the sun to rise.

Riki ran into the tent because he had a bad feeling and his suspicions turned out to be true. Iason was beside himself! He had bit his lip until it bled, the blue trickle stained his white shirt. His eyes were fiery, the perfect features of his face twisted with anger, and his facial muscles twitched and trembled. A wild, throaty snarl escaped his mouth and he was grinding his knuckles with his clenched fist.

The man approached him, stroking his face and hands to calm him down.

"It's not your fault" he whispered into his ear "It's not your fault" and kept repeating the same sentence like a litany until the grimace on the Blondie's face turned into a hint of pain. Iason let himself be rocked by his mongrel until he laid him on the mattress. A thin tear seemed to slip from those cold and fragile aquamarine eyes.


	44. Sow a seed and the earth will give you a flower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raoul is surrounded by people who love him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Inside Eos, the lights suddenly went out and Guy, who was walking behind Orphe, stopped because he could no longer see where he was going.

“I have a flashlight in my tunic pocket. Take it!" ordered the Blondie who had both arms busy supporting Raoul's body. Guy, gropingly, slipped his hands under the robes of that unknown Elite and found the torch. He turned it on, aiming the beam of light straight in front of them to illuminate the path.

Orphe entered one of the empty rooms on the lower floors of the tower and laid Raoul, still unconscious, on the bed. Guy put the flashlight on the bedside table in order to illuminate him and sat on the edge of the bed. The Chief of Eos watched that strange human with suspicion.

"We have to undress him!" Guy exclaimed. “His face and feet are burned. Surely the rest of the body will have suffered damage too!"

"I will check my brother's body but YOU will wait outside this room!" Orphe retorted authoritatively, in a tone that left no room for objection.

The mongrel suddenly became nervous.

“Listen, I'm… I'm Guy. You don't know me but Raoul does… please let me stay! It is for his own good. He would like it!" he spoke in a low voice, almost imploring.

Orphe didn't trust that man’s words but didn't want to waste any more time. He also wanted to prevent him from wandering around the tower undisturbed and unsupervised, so reluctantly he agreed. He unhooked the buttons of Raoul's tunic one by one and pulled it off. The Blondie showed numerous burn marks on his neck, nipples, chest, belly and hips. His navel was also badly burned.

Guy tried to unzip his pants but Orphe grabbed his wrist and pulled him away. "Put your dirty hand on him again and I'll rip it off your body." he threatened.

Guy immediately pulled his arm away. "Ok ok, sorry ... do it yourself!"

The Blondie opened Raoul's trousers and gently pulled them off from below. His brother wore no underwear underneath, no shoes or socks. His lower stomach and genital area were covered in Elite blood, and Orphe frowned in concern. Guy, on the other hand, was confused.

"What did they pour on him?" The mongrel asked, pointing to the cobalt-colored substance that covered the usually white skin of his Blondie.

"It's his blood." The other replied with irritation "You say you know him and you don't even know what color his blood is?"

The burns continued on his legs and feet. Soles, in particular, were covered with blisters. He turned him on his side: the blue liquid ran down from the buttocks to the upper part of the thighs. Orphe gently wrapped his brother in the sheet.

"He's alive, isn't he? Will he be saved? " The man asked with anguish.

“He's breathing and I think his injuries are superficial, but we'll have to wait for the sun to rise to assess the damage and decide what to do. We will need first aid items." Orphe replied seriously. In reality, rather than informing the human of his intentions, he was thinking aloud.

"Are you ... a doctor?" Guy asked.

"No. The only one of us with medical training is Raoul but there should be some furniture with nursing knowledge."

“Look for one now, please! His condition could be serious!"

"And allow yourself to be alone with him?" Orphe's tone suddenly turned hostile.

“I… I will not touch him, I will just accompany him. Please trust me! "

"If you're lying to me I won't hesitate to kill you, Guy, remember!"

The man nodded and the mighty Chief of Eos took the torch and left the room leaving them in the dark. Over time, the young man's eyes got used to the darkness and he was able to make out the outline of some objects. When the sun rose, some rays of light penetrated the room.

Guy observed the face of his beloved: his lips were purple, swollen, hard and split thin dark marks covered his cheeks. The inside of one of his ears was purple and inflamed. Guy combed his hair with his fingers and Raoul moved with a groan, then opened his eyes.

“Love it's me, I'm here. You're safe!" whispered the mongrel as he brought his face close to him to be recognized.

"Guy?" said the Blondie in a faint voice. The screams had irritated his vocal cords and speaking was painful.

"Yes my love! I am with you, we are in Eos. A blond friend of yours is looking for help”.

"Why are you ... in Eos?" he asked. He spoke almost softly and Guy found it difficult to understand his words.

“I have come for you. Riki told me you had been with Jupiter for too long and I drove as fast as I could. When I saw that you were… hurt, I decided to stay and accompany you."

The biochemist suddenly remembered Jupiter's interrogation and the torture he had endured. Panicked he put a hand to his face to inspect it and felt the burn marks and the hardness of the swollen lips. He could only hear in one ear, the other was deaf and sore.

“You will heal, ok? It’s nothing serious. I promise you will be as good as new." Guy told him reassuringly. Raoul did not answer.

"Is there a mirror in this room?" the biochemist asked after a few minutes. He was not so much concerned with his physical appearance as with assessing the severity of his burns.

“I don't know love, it was dark and I didn't notice. I'll get you one, but now you need to rest assured. Do you… remember what happened? You are injured and you have burns! How did they make them?"

Raoul did not want to talk about it and continued to stare at the ceiling in silence. When he received no answer, Guy took his hand and kissed it.

“Sorry… you don't have to tell me. You don't have to talk if you don't want to. I ... I will stay next to you and I will not ask you more questions. Ok?"

The Blondie nodded. He looked scared and pale and Guy lay down beside him on the bed. Raoul closed his eyes and inhaled the persistent, wild smell of his mongrel. This calmed him down a bit.

A short time later Guy heard the sound of approaching footsteps coming from the corridor and immediately retreated to a corner of the mattress for fear of the reaction the other Blondie might have if he found him so close to Raoul. Orphe entered accompanied by Louis. He was pleased to find his brother awake and lucid and sat down in a chair next to the bed.

“I suppose you won't tell me what you did to anger our Creator so much this time either, brother, quite right?" he said gravely.

“You guess well, Orphe. Sorry if I caused you any inconvenience. " the other phlegmatic answered.

The mighty Chief of Eos raised his voice in irritation “Don't offend me Raoul! You are badly injured and only worry about being a nuisance? Do you really think it's a burden for me to look after you? Now leave this protective attitude of yours, for once, and accept that you are the one who needs to be attended!"

Raoul shivered. He felt like a rag, destroyed both physically and psychologically, but he didn't want to show it. Apparently he couldn't hide it this time.

The biochemist turned his attention to the elderly furniture. "Do you have medical training, Louis?"

"Not academic, Lord Am." The eunuch humbly replied “But all the furnitures with nursing qualifications were in the Jupiter Tower clinic when the power was cut. My skills are based above all on the experience gained over my many years of service."

"It'll be fine." Raoul agreed "Have you ever cured an Elite?"

“Yes Lord Am, I know your physiology. Lord Zavi has partially instructed me on your conditions but I need to assess them with my own eyes. Can you tell me how you were damaged so as not to misdiagnose?"

Raoul, as a doctor, agreed with the furniture but as a victim he felt it would be extremely painful for him to show all his injuries and tell the way they were inflicted on him. Not to mention that the many hours of torture and chilling pain still resonated in his body as if that agony wasn't over yet.

Avoiding answering that question, he tried to rise to take a sitting position but the severe pain in the anogenital area made him give up. Then he pulled back the sheet, so as to show Louis the condition of his body.

It was completely covered in subtle purple marks that looked mostly like superficial and easily healed burns. However, some areas (especially the inside of the right ear, the navel and the soles of the feet) were certainly more serious, with second degree and extensive burns. Furthermore, as far as the ear was concerned, it was necessary to verify that there was no damage to the eardrum.

The most compromised part, however, was the genital one, but it was difficult to make a diagnosis because the clotted blood that covered the skin made it impossible to assess the actual severity of the lesions. Louis got a bottle of water (the idric system didn't work) and some clean cotton cloths.

“Lord Am I need to clean it up. Would you like me to give you a sedative before proceeding?"

The Blondie shook his head negatively: he didn't want to be sedated. He wanted to be lucid to understand what his state of health was. The old furniture therefore wet the cloth with the liquid and began to rub the layer of blood away from the belly.

Then he went to cleanse the scrotum. The Blondie let out a cry and took a deep breath so as not to withdraw: his skin was completely burned with small bubbles filled with liquid. The man dabbed it gently to keep the blisters from rupturing and then cleaned up the penis. Raoul had to cling tightly to the sheets and grit his teeth as Louis rubbed the blue layer off his thin, compromised skin.

The problem arose when it became necessary to clean it internally. The lesions had stuck the foreskin to the glans and to find out it was necessary to break the clot. Louis tried to sprinkle it with some water to soften it but it was so stuck that he couldn't get a single drop in. Guy felt helpless, he wanted to help but didn't know how. Raoul caught Orphe's attention.

"Please hold me tightly." he said shivering. The other Blondie understood and supported his brother's pelvis and torso using his arms and the weight of his own body.

Then, with a sharp movement, Louis lowered his foreskin. Blood immediately began to pour out, Raoul let out a heartbreaking cry and his face rippled with tears. If Orphe hadn't restrained him he would surely have hit the man who was treating him. Guy watched in shock.

Louis wrapped the organ in the damp cloth until the blood stopped coming out, then checked the state of the glans: the burn was third degree, fortunately there were no signs of necrosis but it would take some time to heal.

“Lord Am, your glans are severely compromised and the frenulum has broken. I think it would be wise to circumcise it to prevent the foreskin from sticking to the clot again. If this happens, every time I would be forced to break the scar tissue, extending the healing time enormously."

The Blondie agreed, he would have made the same diagnosis himself. Nonetheless, he felt shaken at the idea of losing a part of his body.

"In my laboratory I have everything you need to practice the surgery." he added with a trembling note in his voice.

The eunuch filled a syringe with sterile disinfectant liquid and injected it directly into the urinary canal. Raoul grabbed Orphe's arm to help him resist the intense burning.

“Aagghh… Louis I believe I was also damaged internally. They gave electric shocks inside the urethra with a long metal tip. "

At that revelation all present frowned. They wondered what had been used to reduce him to that state but the fact that Jupiter had decided to burn him internally with such a devious torture weapon was incredible. It was known that Artificial Intelligence loved its Blondies more than any other Elite of its creation and among the Blondies Raoul had always been one of its favorites.

Louis and Orphe could not find a logical explanation as to why it punished him so harshly: physical punishments were not used for the Elites. Lambda 3000 was stern and vindictive but usually limited to mental invasions. In the most serious cases it planned a cleaning of the brain or marked them with the scream for a more or less prolonged period of time but there was no memory of an Elite who had suffered physical injuries from the Creator.

"Lord Am" asked the furniture, looking professional and impassive "were all your injuries caused by this electrified metal tip?"

"Yes, they were."

“But that would explain the burns but not the bleeding. The electrified tip should have caused only the cauterization of the skin and underlying tissues but not their rupture."

"No ... I was subsequently forced into sexual activity."

"Do you mean you have been raped, Lord Am?"

"Yes Louis, from the guardian androids." the biochemist revealed coldly and impassively, as if he was talking about a third person.

Orphe felt a sudden rush of anger. Jupiter forbade them to have sex but ordered the rape of his brother after torturing him with electric currents ? It was chilling! Absurd! Their Creator must have gone mad!

Guy growled, gritted his teeth and closed his fist hard to the point of hurting himself. Wasn't torturing him enough? Had that damned computer gone far enough to have him raped? The mongrel felt he hated it with all his soul ... then he had something like an illumination. It was his fault, it was obvious! He had encouraged Raoul to follow his sexual impulses and Jupiter had noticed it! In desperation he looked at his ailing Blondie and swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to help him get well again.

The furniture continued with his disinfection work, injected more liquid and sucked up the residues of clotted blood and burnt tissues . Raoul was visibly in pain, but that was nothing compared to the agony he had suffered in Jupiter Tower and he could bear it.

"Lord Am," Louis then said "I believe there is no irreparable damage. With time and frequent dressings it will come back into place, but I'm concerned about your current physiological needs. For a few days the acts of urination and defecation will be extremely painful and it is not possible to insert a catheter due to the compromised state of your urinary canal”.

“I'm aware of that Louis. I'll tolerate it, go ahead."

The elderly man proceeded to clean the area of the perineum which was similar to that of the scrotum, with tiny bubbles filled with fluid. He later invited the Blondie to roll over on his side and wiped the delicate area between his buttocks and thighs. His anus was also in poor condition, with third-degree burns similar to those of the glans. It was also badly torn, so much so that as soon as Louis removed the coagulated lumps the cobalt-colored fluid began to come out in abundance.

"Lord Am, could you tell me if your burns are limited to the sphincter or extend inside?"

"Also ... inside ..." Raoul replied, breathing deeply to control the pain and looking for Guy's hand, who didn't hesitate to squeeze it.

Louis proceeded as he had done before, injecting the disinfectant into the intestinal vial and sucking it up. It continued until the leaking liquid was clean enough. Then he applied wet gauze to absorb the blood and limit its flow.

A few seconds later there was a knock on the door. Orphe covered his brother with the sheet and went to open it. There were three furnitures in front of him. He recognized Benson, the other two wore the orange D-type uniform.

"Lord Zavi, can we see our Master?" The young man with short forest green hair asked timidly.

Orphe turned to his brother, letting him decide.

"Let them pass" he authorized.

Benson and Daniel approached the bed with concern, although the former was looking directly at Raoul while the latter was looking at the ground. At the sight of the bruises on his master's face, the boy knelt at Raoul's bed with tears in his eyes.

"Master Raoul, I’m … so sorry ..." he said heartsore.

The Blondie stroked his head with affection "It's nothing serious Benson, try not to be fatalistic as usual" he said trying to minimize and show self-confidence, but the pained and hoarse tone of his voice betrayed him.

"How do you feel, Master Am?" Asked Daniel who, from a couple of months, at the request of Blondie, had left the formal 'Lord' to replace it with the more colloquial 'Master'.

"Not good, but I'll be better," Raoul replied impassively. Then he looked towards the door and saw Katze who had been watching from outside. Louis saw him too.

“Katze you are not allowed to get close to Lord Am.” the elder furniture said aloud “But, if Lord Zavi approves, I'll turn a blind eye. Without electricity, Jupiter cannot observe your movements."

Everyone turned to Orphe who suddenly felt uncomfortable with six pairs of eyes on him.

“If Raoul wants to fraternize with humans, I'm certainly not his guardian to stop him. Do as you wish! So, it seems, no one follows the rules in this building anymore!" The Chief of Eos replied coldly.

Katze smiled and ran to the bed where Raoul was resting, taking his face in his hands and letting a few tears of emotion fall. The Blondie hugged him and suddenly felt satisfied and serene: Katze, Guy, Benson, Daniel and his brother Orphe were there for him. The abuse he suffered and the compromised state of his body became irrelevant. He no longer cared whether he was in pain or how long it would take to heal. Raoul felt loved and accompanied and this gave him incredible strength.

Louis let half an hour go by to allow the Blondie to enjoy the company of the humans he cared about, then called his attention.

"Lord Am, I would like to take you to the medical office to proceed with the dressings and further checks, and to carry out that small surgery."

Raoul agreed. Orphe made sure the sheet enveloped him completely and then lifted him, supporting him with one arm behind his back and the other under the crook of his knees, as he had done when he had picked him up unconscious hours ago.

"Don't get used to certain treatments, Raoul, I trust that the next time you leave the penthouse it will be with your own feet." he said with a note of irony that made everyone smile.

The other Blondie did not answer and let himself be carried in silence through the long corridors of Eos; the five humans followed them like an escort. Orphe climbed all 100 flights of stairs without showing any hint of fatigue, although undoubtedly doing them with an Elite in his arms would have been a challenge even for the strongest android in Tanagura.

Once there, he placed him on the surgical table inside the doctor's office. Louis and Orphe closed the door leaving the other humans in the living room.

The wait seemed endless, fragmented only by Raoul's piercing screams that occasionally could be heard coming from the room. Guy was tremendously nervous and several times he got up to go and see what was happening but Katze convinced him to give up because he would just be a nuisance.

They got out after nearly three hours. Orphe was pushing the wheeled surgical table on which Raoul lay. The Blondie was completely wrapped in bandages: Louis had first practiced the circumcision surgery and subsequently applied on each burn some gauze soaked in a solution that would have speeded up the healing process. Said gauze also concealed some points of the face and a conspicuous compress covered the right ear which, fortunately, had not suffered permanent internal damage. The duct was only very swollen and inflamed and presented a beginning of infection. Before finishing putting the bandages on, Louis had urged him to empty his bladder and bowels, actions that had caused him an unspeakable suffering, but at least now he could rest undisturbed for several hours.

Guy walked over to the stretcher and took Raoul's hand, the latter looked at him with a half smile and invited him to follow them. Orphe took his brother to his room and moved him to the bed whose sheets had just been changed by Benson as it was necessary for the environment to be as sterile as possible. The mongrel wanted to lie down beside him but was peremptorily called back by Katze who was watching the scene from the door.

"You can't stay near him in those clothes Guy! See if there is alcohol or some other disinfectant solution in the bathroom, Raoul should have some. Then throw out those dusty clothes you came from Ceres in, clean up your body and put on something new!"

"Oh ..." the man stopped immediately. How had he not thought about it? "Sure boss ... I'll provide immediately!"

He entered Raoul's personal bathroom, which was accessed directly from his bedroom, undressed and, among the various bottles, he found a suitable one with which he disinfected himself thoroughly. Then he put on a white silk robe that hung from a hook right next to the shower cubicle and finally lay down on the bed with his Blondie.

Katze closed the door. Boss ... it seemed like an eternity had passed since someone had called him that way or followed his directions. For a long time he hadn't shown any semblance of authority and yet, despite the long months of obedience and submission he had to undergo, addressing Guy in such a categorical way had come naturally to him, as if his old self had always remained there, hidden behind the mask. Louis and Daniel looked at him in amazement.

Before leaving the penthouse, Orphe turned to the three furnitures in the living room:

“Your priority right now is to provide for Raoul's needs. Louis and I have a whole tower full of panicked pets and lost furnitures waiting for instructions to handle and we can't stay. Don't touch the bandages. Make sure he takes plenty of fluids and if there are any difficulties go and call us. Louis will come three times a day for medications, and in those moments you will follow his every indication. If you need food or water, you will refuel in the auditorium. Everything is clear?

"Yes, Lord Zavi.” confirmed the three eunuchs, almost in unison.

That said, he walked through the hall, swinging his cloak in a theatrical way.

Orphe had always appeared to all as the aseptic and authoritarian Chief Operations Officer of Eos, whose job it was to keep order, dictate the rules and make sure they were respected. Today, for the first time, they saw him with different eyes. Raoul's suffering had brought something almost human out of him: a vulnerable and protective side hidden under that detached and austere mask.

Raoul rested for a long time under Guy's affectionate gaze. The mongrel could not fall asleep but remained next to him holding his hand.

Katze, despite the concern for Raoul's physical and psychological state due to the torture he had endured, felt free for the first time in a long time, safe and surrounded by friends. The tag on his wrist suddenly didn't feel so heavy to wear.

Perhaps the torture perpetrated by Jupiter had the opposite effect to what it should have had: instead of eradicating humanity from Raoul it had accentuated it and awakened the feelings of another of its precious children.

***

In the darkness of the Jupiter Tower and the solitude of its dome, Lambda 3000 floated. Its energy molecules whirled in space and a question lurked in its circuits. First Iason, then Gideon, now Raoul… maybe its Blondies were changing? Perhaps it was time that the system on which their existence was based also change? For the first time since its creation, the mighty God of Amoi began to consider the possibility of a social metamorphosis.


	45. The ingenuity of Blondies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moment of calm above and below Eos Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Night was coming over the metropolis of Tanagura and a mongrel with long, tousled brown hair approached the blond angel still asleep in white soft cotton sheets. He lay down beside him and stroked his cheek with his fingertips.

“Wake up love, open your eyes.”

Raoul meowed something not too understandable, then raised his eyelids and faintly smiled at the sight of Guy's face.

“Welcome back!” the young man said softly “You slept for almost eight hours!”

“Did you stay here the whole time?” Asked the Blondie, who was feeling surprisingly good after such a restful sleep.

“More or less. Let's say I stayed most of the time.” He said kissing him delicately under his left eye “How are you? You feel any pain?"

“I don’t seem to. Was I given any analgesics?”

“No love, nothing, as your stubborn little head ordered. But now you have to sit down and have a drink. Will you let me help you?”

Raoul raised himself in a sitting position, levering his arms and the pain awoke immediately, so much so that he couldn’t avoid to give in and a grimace to be seen. Guy arranged the cushions on the headboard and helped him move back a little so he was comfortably propped up. Then, he handed him a glass full of sugared water. Raoul twisted his mouth when he tasted the sweetish taste.

“Drink it all Blondie! And remember that, if you had agreed to have an IV put in, you shouldn't have to do it. You are a terrible patient, according to Louis.”

Raoul smiled. He knew not to be an easy patient to treat. With no small effort he emptied the glass, then Guy opened a tube of ointment and applied it to his still swollen and hard lips.

“Love, it kills me to have to give you bad news, but Louis has been out here for a while and has to medicate you and change your gauze before the light goes out. Can I let him in?”

The other sighed.

“I guess I have no alternative” he reluctantly accepted “but first, would you help me with my ... needs?”

“Don't you prefer Louis to do it?” answered the mongrel “You have a lot of bandages to remove in that area!”

“No. I want you to help me.”

Raoul felt a slight discomfort as Guy gently removed from the genital area the gauze wraps soaked in a celestial substance: liquid for burns mixed with Blondie blood.

“I almost got a heart attack this morning when I found out your blood is blue. You are truly aristocrat then!” said the mongrel as he concentrated on his work.

“Mh ... I don't understand? What do you mean?” asked the other confused.

“Well, that's a saying from Ceres. Those who have noble origins are said to have blue blood.”

“I had never heard this form of speaking. It will refer to the Elites ...”

“No, it's an ancient saying. I think it comes from our ancestors, you know? From the terrestrials!”

“So your ancestors with aristocratic origins had blood like ours?”

“I don't know, it can be.” he answered with a shrug.

Guy removed the last layer of gauze, the one that directly covered the exposed glans. “Tell me if I hurt you, ok?”

“All right” Raoul agreed. He didn't really feel pain, just a little tingling. The mongrel took the urinal off the floor and stuck the battered tip of his Blondie's organ into it. It would take some time as his urinary control was impaired and his bladder was having difficulty emptying.

“Do you remember I did the same thing for you at Iason's house?” said the man to fill the wait

“I have no direct memories, Guy, but I imagined something like that. On the other hand, since you had me chained to the bed, I guess I didn't have many alternatives.”

“Even that time it was Jupiter's fault” the man suddenly vented quite excitedly “You… you don't have to go to it anymore! It was cruel! It deserves no affection or respect or whatever you androids feel for that cluster of circuits!”

“It's not that easy, Guy, Jupiter controls every corner of Tanagura and much of Midas. If I will be summoned again I will not be able to exempt myself.”

Guy jumped onto his feet and nearly dropped the urinal he was holding in his hand.

“Are you telling me that you will go back to it? For what? Get yourself killed next time? Get your brain empty? If so, why don't you say it outright so we don't waste time getting you back on tracks!”

The mongrel was furious, his muscles trembling with tension.

“I don't want to have to live in hiding like Iason or Gideon, Guy. I hope the war will be resolved to our advantage but if it doesn't, I will have to face it again.”

"Fuck Raoul!" Guy punched the wooden nightstand next to the bed “You don't want to live in hiding but being tortured for hours with electricity and then raped is okay? Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! You're an idiot!” he shouted, kicking the side of the bed.

The Blondie was finally able to evacuate some of the liquid that filled his bladder. The intense burning immediately made him turn pale and moan and Guy hastened to comfort him by stroking his back.

“Quiet ... Ssssh ... You're almost done. Breath deeply!”

Trying to overcome the pain, Raoul ended and collapsed on the pillows exhausted. The mongrel went to empty the urinal (whose liquid inside was also celestine due to the presence of blood) in the bucket set up for that purpose, sterilized his hand with the alcohol solution he had left available in the bathroom and returned to the bed to hug his beloved.

"Excuse me if I lost my patience ... but you just can't ask me to accept what that damn computer did to you or to live with the idea that it could happen to you again.”

The other waited for the pain to subside a bit to respond.

“Don't think about it now.” he said when he was able to speak again “Let's just enjoy this moment of freedom. If it can be any consolation, if I should be summoned again by Jupiter, I will go accompanied by someone. Are you okay with this compromise?”

Guy got up from the bed angrily.

“Damn it, Raoul! If I remember correctly, you were with Gideon when it fucked your brains out with that screaming thing, right? Apparently you haven't been able to do much to help each other.”

“Touché” admitted the Blondie smiling “Let Louis in now, I think I have put his infinite patience on test enough for today.”

While the old furniture proceeded with the dressings, Guy took the opportunity to change his clothes. He wore one of Raoul's suits, the most simple he could find in the closet. Luckily he was tall enough and the Blondie's clothes fit him quite well, he just had to roll up a bit his sleeve and pants.

Louis finished about half an hour later, just as the sun was starting to set. As soon as he was gone, Guy dashed into the room with one of Raoul's clean robes in hand.

“Come on, wear this!” He said putting his arm up the sleeve without even waiting for his answer.

“Why?” The Blondie asked a bit annoyed.

“Because you will have dinner with your family and I won’t take you there dressed only in your bandages.” he explained, while pushing his other arm in arrogance. “Now close the buttons by yourself, I was not good with these things even when I had two hands. In five minutes we will come and get you!”

A few minutes later he returned to the room accompanied by Benson, Katze and Daniel who, heedless of his protests, lifted him up. Katze and Benson took lifted him with one hand behind his back and one under his armpit and the other two under his legs, and carried him to a comfortable padded chair they had specially prepared in the living room.

Then they served a sumptuous banquet (the best they could create with canned food, crackers and dried meat) lit by candles. It was like one of those dinners they used to spend every so often at Iason's house, carefree and cheerful. Towards the middle of the dinner Guy appeared from the cellar with some bottles of Raoul's personal reserve, filled the glasses of the three furnitures and did not lose sight of them until they were emptied.

Daniel and Benson had never consumed alcohol and soon lost their submissive attitude and started chatting aloud about informal topics. Raoul saw, perhaps for the first time, what Daniel's eyes were like: large and streaked with green and brown. The boy had a cheerful, ringing voice, so different from the humble, hinted tone he usually emitted. After dinner, they talked and played cards. Katze had drunk a little too much and suddenly took Daniel's face in his hands and kissed him intensely, regardless of who was around them.

Guy burst out laughing, jokingly urging them to go further away as Raoul rolled his eyes in surprise (Blondies tend to be quite naive on certain subjects). Katze, realizing that he was unintentionally offering an unsolicited show, immediately let go of his lover's lips and apologized to those present for his momentary loss of control. Guy and Raoul reassured him: it was a normal reaction and there was nothing to be ashamed of. In fact the Blondie was delighted to find that the human he cared about most (besides Guy, of course) and one of his favorite furnitures had become so intimate. Benson suddenly turned red and embarrassed.

The green-haired boy had never kissed anyone, even though he had seen pets engaged in such acts many times, but seeing this done by two furnitures had something strange about it. It should have been wrong but instead it looked beautiful and natural. He felt a mixture of envy and curiosity and couldn't help but wonder if one day he too would find someone with whom to share feelings of love.

Some time later, after the family dinner was over and before the two excited eunuch lovers secluded to one of the rooms, the others called their attention to remind them to help bring Raoul back to his bedroom; Guy cleared the table with Benson and, after having thoroughly cleaned himself up, lay down on the bed with his Blondie. He chastely kissed the tip of his elegant nose and perfect forehead half covered by bandages and they fell asleep peacefully, wishing that feeling of freedom last forever.

***

Several meters below, another mongrel and another Blondie had just finished their frugal meal and were watching the stars from an opening in the tent.

Iason was silent and serious. Ever since he had seen his brother and closest friend disappear behind the gates of Eos, passed out in Orphe's arms, worry had not stopped haunting him. He had no way to communicate with the inside of the tower without reconnecting the power, which would have been out of the question because Jupiter was waiting for more to recharge its emergency generators and last longer. They had to continue with the original plan at any cost.

Riki knew his Blondie's mood, although Iason didn't express his feelings. He nudged him with his elbow to get his attention.

“Hey love… he's fine. Katze and Guy are in there, and that sadist Orphe too. They are taking care of Raoul!”

Iason was hoping to, but he would have liked to hear it said with certainty, a hypothesis was not enough. He had no idea what Jupiter had done to him and in his heart he feared that it might have cleaned up his mind making him an empty body or damaged him beyond repair. Riki tickled the back of his hand with his fingers.

“It is normal for you to be worried, but you have to trust. He is fine! Hope keeps us alive, and we badly need it right now.”

The Blondie frowned and realized that his mongrel was right. He had to believe that Raoul was okay to go ahead with the plan, it was useless to wallow in worry. He decided it was a good time to express the doubt that had arisen the day before.

“Listen Riki, why did you decide to call Guy when Raoul was in audience with Jupiter? And why did he go into Eos with him? What does that mongrel have to do with my brother?”

Riki looked at him in shock.

“Please ... tell me you're joking!” he said after a few minutes of silence.

“Joke? Why do you think I'm kidding?” The other answered slightly annoyed by that ironic note.

“Oh fuck… Iason, have you never wondered why, in all these months, the news about Raoul reached us through Guy? Didn't you notice something odd about their attitude the month before Katze was kidnapped? Come on ... I thought you understood!”

Iason took a few seconds to process the data.

"You mean my brother and that mongrel are romantically linked?”

“Yes blonde head, they fuck like rabbits! Or at least they did it before Jupiter got in the way.”

Iason scowled and the image of his brother engaging in coitus with Riki's ex left a slight discomfort in his mouth. Although, in fact, it was he who had first asked the mongrel to engage in similar acts to save Raoul from brain destruction, he did not believe that the two would proceed on their own accord.

Riki shook his head in a compliant way: Blondies really tend to be too naive about certain subjects.


	46. A valuable loot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orphe talks to Guy. Aylin and Creek end up in a bad situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Ten days after Raoul's interrogation, the situation in Tanagura had not changed significantly. Lambda 3000 floated in its dome clinging to the electricity accumulated in the emergency generators; the three skyscrapers called Parthea, Eos and Jupiter Tower were still energetically isolated and their inhabitants survived thanks to the huge supply of food and water reserves that they had obtained during the 12 hours of armistice.

According to Iason's calculations, the Artificial Intelligence still have a maximum of four days of autonomy left, then it would inevitably shut down.

The mongrel military camp set up all around Eos was now strong and well organized. Thanks to continuous patrols, Ceres' army kept practically the entire area of Tanagura under control and managed its entrances and exits from the hexagonal perimeter. The surviving guardian androids, on the other hand, had mostly remained inside Jupiter Tower or around the building, but some of them broke into the streets of Tanagura in secret, dressed in civilian clothes and well camouflaged among the inhabitants.

Everyone was waiting for the Supercomputer to make its move to break the deadlock and the countdown was now dangerously close.

***

Protected by the thick, gleaming metal walls of Eos Tower, Raoul had made great strides and, thanks to the Blondies' improved metabolism, most of his burns were perfectly healed. He was able to put his feet on the ground and walk alone, albeit slowly and without traveling too long distances. He politely refused Louis's services and independently provided for all of his medical needs himself.

His days inside the penthouse were pleasant and full of incentives thanks to the attention he received from his energetic and forthright yet kind and caring mongrel, from his charming and sharp red-haired confidant who never lacked to offer him interesting topics of conversation to explore and from his two devoted and attentive furnitures who catered to his every need before he even mentioned them.

Orphe, assisted by Louis, had assumed full responsibility for the tower and had dedicated himself to that task with commitment. New rules now applied to Eos, rules adapted to the lack of electricity and the fact that the Elites had disappeared and the remaining occupants were almost all human. Furnitures and pets had practically the same rights and duties, even if the former had the task of supervising and educating the latter because they were lacking in experience, little used to physical work and not too smart.

Despite his busy schedule, Lord Zavi found time each day to visit his convalescent brother.

One morning, coming out of the penthouse, he bumped into Guy who was returning from the auditorium where he had gone to get supplies and motioned for the man to follow him. When they were protected from prying eyes, the mighty Blondie did not hesitate to ask his questions.

“What kind of relationship do you have, exactly, with my brother, Guy? I noticed you spend nights in his bed. How did you get so close?"

The mongrel, blown away by that question and intimidated by the authority of that Elite, suddenly got nervous.

“Uh… well… we met through Katze. You know who he is, right?"

Orphe nodded. He had long ago recognized in that scarred furniture the old servant of Iason Mink, who later became Midas' black market boss.

"I worked for him, I was a kind of intermediary" Guy continued, though he wasn't sure it was good that Orphe was aware of certain information "I was in charge of his affairs within Ceres."

“I can understand how Raoul came into contact with that human, since he was the closest of us to Iason's business,” Orphe acknowledged “what intrigues me, however, is how he approached you. A Blondie, mostly recently awarded the title of head of the Syndicate, that is Tanagura's most important title, in intimacy with a limbless mongrel is quite an unusual combination, don't you think?"

Guy felt his heartbeat speed up and was eager to end that conversation.

“Yes, that's right, it's quite unusual. We met by chance ... we discovered we have things in common and started dating ..."

“Things in common? What could my brother have in common with you?"

"I don’t know. There was a certain kind of affinity. He was intrigued by me and I by him ..."

“Are you aware, Guy, that for nearly eight months Raoul has been segregated in Eos? Would you have me believe that this 'curiosity' that you have in common was strong enough to survive such a long period of time and convince you to confine yourself to a besieged tower by betraying your comrades in arms?”

Guy, cornered, decided to answer truthfully.

"Yes. I really love Raoul, I was very worried about him and I couldn't stay out knowing he was hurt."

“Very well Guy, then I'll be blunt and direct. There are precedents of a brother of ours, now gone, who had carnal relations with a mongrel. I want you to tell me if this is also the case for you. Has Raoul engaged to you sexually?"

There was no way to lie.

"Yes, he did." the young man answered, trying to keep his expression neutral. Orphe did not lose his demeanor and continued to speak as if Guy's words were nothing more than confirmation of his suspicions.

“I will not question my brother's personal choices, although I think the path he has taken is extremely dangerous, however I am currently concerned about his health. He looks too good! The abuses he suffered during Jupiter's interrogation were beyond measure intense and prolonged, and his circuits must have remained psychosomatically affected. Our Creator not only physically tortured him, but by having him raped by lower-level androids, it invaded his intimate sphere and tore his pride to pieces.

My brother didn't let off steam, didn't get angry or reacted in any way. Blondies weren't created to be abused or mistreated, our brains are designed to dominate and can't repair itself if shaken so extreme. No Blondie, not even a resilient and flexible one like Raoul, could survive such an experience intact and I fear that this calm and pragmatic attitude of his could be the prelude to a short circuit.

This is where you come in, Guy, if you really care about Raoul you have to be able to make sure he doesn't avoid the trauma by hiding it in a remote corner of his circuits. You have to urge him to face it and vent it outward in some way."

Guy listened to the words of that cold android, who now actually no longer seemed so cold, never interrupting him. After all, the Blondies weren't all that different from men, he thought, with the difference that what would cause an unconscious trauma in a human being could turn into a potentially lethal short circuit for Raoul. He couldn't allow it.

"What should I do?" He asked.

“Raoul never reported what Jupiter did to him, apart from some indispensable information. You have to get him to talk about what happened in the dome. You need to get the details told. You have to take down his shields until you get some sort of meaningful reaction."

“I… I'll try…” Guy murmured “but I don't think he'll want to. He avoids this topic."

“In this case, shock treatment will be required. You will have to make him relive that experience and to be able to shake him somehow. If you are unable to do so, we will have to entrust him to the care of Jupiter itself."

“I'll never ask for help from that damn Computer! I won't let it put its filthy hands, or whatever it has, on Raoul again!" He cried out, losing all residual shyness. Orphe looked at him sympathetically.

“You don't need to do this now, Guy, but if you notice in the next few months that his behavior has become abnormal, that means there's little time left. I entrust you with my brother's mental well-being, don't disappoint me."

"Okay ... trust me ..."

Orphe was satisfied with that answer and solemnly continued on his way.

***

The androgynous blue-haired young man watched the field from a crack in the tent.

"Then? Has he entered? "

"Wait ... I can't see well!"

Aylin was impatient. She was looking for an opportunity to sneak out of the tent and meet Sid, whom she hadn't seen since the night before the attack, for nearly two weeks, but their Onyx/Blondie Master kept them under close surveillance and didn't leave them alone except a few minutes each time.

Luckily, Gideon had been summoned for a strategic meeting with the coalition's extraplanetary commanders in Iason's tent that day and would surely be busy for a long time. It was an unmissable opportunity.

“Yes, there we are! He entered Iason and Riki's tent!" The young eunuch warned.

"Aaaah it was time!" The girl quickly took off the women's dress she was wearing and replaced it with her military outfit. The other imitated her by putting on his shoes and jacket.

"What the hell are you doing, Creek?"

"What am I doing? I'm going with you! Suppose Gideon comes back soon and you're not there yet, what am I going to tell him? I'd rather he didn’t find us both, get back together and make up an excuse!"

Aylin sighed. "Ok. But hurry up!"

The two went out silently and ran to Sid's tent, but the man was not there. They recognized Norris near the entrance.

"Pssst hey!" Aylin called him half hidden between two tents “I need to talk to Sid! Is him in there?" She asked.

"No, he's on patrol around Jupiter Tower."

"Shit!" swore the girl, who by now had completely inserted herself in the ways of speaking of Ceres "How long does it take to reach the tower by foot?"

"Not much, if you run you will get there in twenty minutes." Norris answered.

"Ok! So I'm going! What do you want to do, Creek? Are you waiting here or do you want to accompany me?"

Common sense would have advised the young furniture to wait, but he preferred to know at all times where his friend was rather than waiting for her unwittingly; furthermore, Creek feared that what Aylin had to say to Sid might take longer than expected, and he would have to rush her back before Gideon returned.

"I come with you." he said simply, and they ran towards Jupiter Tower.

***

The patrols were tasked with checking the roads outside the camp to make sure there were no guardian androids spying on their movements or that they were not subjected to surprise attacks. Aylin and Creek came close to Jupiter Tower, but there was not even a shadow of Sid's squadron. They hid behind a tree to check the street, and suddenly Aylin saw a group that looked like their companions circling a building a few blocks away.

"Wait for me here, I'm going to see if those are them!"

The girl, quick as a squirrel, crossed the street and disappeared into the alley. Creek waited a few minutes. Then, since she wasn't coming back, he decided to go find her. However, just around the corner of the building, there was no sign of the female soldier or the patrol.

"Aylin!" Creek yelled, trying to keep the volume low. "Aylin where are you?"

He walked cautiously down the dimly lit alley until suddenly a shadow too big to be his friend's came towards him. He quickly pulled the knife from his belt to defend himself but, before he had a chance to try to attack, the mammoth figure grabbed his arm forcing him to let go of the weapon and something hit him in the head. Creek tried to stay alert, but his vision was blurred and his body fell to the ground with no ability to react.

He felt lifted by someone. In the numbness of the milky senses he saw for a moment a cascade of shiny raven black hair on pale skin, then nothing more.

***

Creek was awakened by a slap in the face. He was in a dull and gray room, windowless and with chains and tools of discipline hanging from the ceiling and walls. He was lying on the ground with his hands and feet tied and he saw Aylin, unconscious and also tied by ropes, a few meters from him.

"Come on, wake up!" A voice boomed.

Saurus Finn grabbed him by the collar forcing him to stand up. Creek was dizzy from the blow to his head and with tied feet struggled to keep his balance. He leaned his back against the wall and looked up to focus on his captor. He immediately recognized the ruthless and famous Onyx Captain of Jupiter’s guards.

“I got the impression that you weren't like the other bastards,” said the Elite, who dominated the center of the room accompanied by four guardian androids “but what we discovered was really unexpected: an eunuch and a female! So we entered your DNA into the database and our satisfaction was great when the terminal revealed that you were nothing less than Gideon Lagat's furniture and pet. You are valuable loot, Creek.”

The Onyx approached the young man caressing the blue tufts on his forehead in a not very reassuring way and Creek looked at him with hatred emitting an angry growl.

“Ooooh I see you have a temper. Your behavior is not suited to what is expected of a furniture, perhaps these months in the company of bastards have made you forget your formative years in Eos? You won't be so aggressive in a few hours after I question you. Wake the pet up!” He ordered.

Immediately one of the guards lifted Aylin off the ground and shook her hard until she opened her eyes and threw her onto the wall where Creek was. The girl recognized her friend and looked at him confused, then noticed the room they were in and the androids in front of them and immediately understood the situation. Lord Lagat's two proteges, standing side by side, looked at their tormentor in the eye.

“Jupiter wants answers, humans, and if you don't speak on your own, we'll force the information out to you. Where is your owner located?"

"We have no owner!" Aylin shouted. “Lord Lagat set us free the day we fled from Eos. We don't know where he went!"

“Oh, really miss? It is a very comfortable answer, but unlikely from my point of view. Gideon was known to be very attached to you, enough to keep you well beyond the time allowed for a pet. I find it hard to believe that he let you go so abruptly, let alone the fact that a delicate creature like you, born and raised in the academy, wouldn't have had much of a chance for survival in the outside world. So, my dear, since you lie so shamelessly, you will be the first to be questioned."

Saurus tore off the ropes that bound Aylin's hands and pushed her against another wall, where he chained her with her arms raised and her chest against the wall. Then he cut the military shirt and the dressing she used to bandage her breasts with a knife, leaving her back uncovered.

"Leave her damn you!" Creek shouted and, hopping with his feet together, rushed towards the Onyx whom, with a blow, threw him onto the ground breaking his nasal septum. Blood began to pour copiously from his nostrils and one of the guards lifted him on his feet before pushing a cloth across his face to stop the flow. They needed him to be clear-headed and in full strength to face the interrogation.

“It'll be fun to whip you, Creek, but it's not your turn yet. I am now busy with the pet you are responsible for.

I'll explain the rules, pet: this whip is our mean of communication. The question is simple: where is Gideon? After five lashes I will stop to give you a chance to respond and each time you remain silent we will proceed with another session of five. If you lie, and I assure you I will notice, I will cycle through ten before stopping again. Is everything clear, Aylin?"

"I won't tell you anything, you lousy bunch of circuits!" The girl said boldly.

Saurus unrolled his whip and blew a couple of preparatory lashes. Then, he positioned himself so that he was right behind his victim and forcefully dropped the first shot.

Aylin, despite all her spiritual strength, could not hold back the cry. She never imagined that the pain would be so intense. The skin split as if it was butter and the sensation was that of a streak of fire. Almost immediately came the second shot, which intersected the first, forming a bloody X on her white back.

Shortly before dropping the third whip, Saurus stopped completely unexpectedly. He threw the whip to the floor, covered his forehead with his hand, and immediately left the room. He came back almost half an hour later.

Aylin was still chained to the wall and trying to look around to see why her macabre interrogation had stopped; Creek was behind one of the guards, the bloody cloth pressed to his face.

“You are lucky, humans” The Onyx thundered. “Jupiter has decided not to continue your interrogation because it is not necessary. It is obvious that Gideon is among the mongrels that attacked us and, knowing his military capabilities, there is no doubt that is one of the commanders. He could, in fact, be Minosi Kan himself and be the architect of this rebellion from the very beginning. Your life is of no importance to our Creator, but perhaps you will be more useful as a bargaining chip than as a fertilizer for plants. Lock them up in a cell!” He ordered.

Aylin was freed from her chains and the ropes that joined their ankles were cut from both prisoners. They were forced to walk the corridors of the Tower of Jupiter until they arrived into a cold and dark room with two beds inside. Saurus approached with a laser knife in his hand and the two closed their eyes but, unexpectedly, no pain came. When they reopened them, they saw that the Onyx had two long strands of their hair in one fist.

The great heavy metal door slammed shut, plunging them into darkness. Aylin and Creek squatted, pressed against each other, on the same cot, and the young man gently stroked her head. Neither of them wept. The furniture and the pet stayed awake awaiting their fate because at the moment there was nothing else they could do.


	47. The colors of a Blondie's existence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon goes to redeem his heirs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Gideon entered the tent and found no one waiting for him. This was odd.

Not the fact that they had gone out because, to be honest, Lord Lagat expected Aylin to vanish at the earliest opportunity since, in the last few days, he had seen her shudder with impatience every time he walked away from the tent and then come back on purpose a few minutes later. In reality that was the small and devious punishment that he had decided to impose on her for disobeying him in engaging in carnal intercourse secretly.

Ceres' army commander was slowly starting to accept the idea of his pet mating with that mongrel. The regulation dictated that he would have to choose a partner for Aylin, but his girl was a special pet and the feelings these two humans had for each other seemed sincere. He wasn't willing to give up on her yet, but he would sustain that relationship. Before granting his blessing, however, he had decided to punish them both: Sid with silence and indifference and Aylin with temporary confinement nurtured by false hopes of escape.

What was really strange was the fact that they had not yet returned to the fold. The military meeting had lasted several hours, and his two youngsters weren't stupid enough to lose track of time and run the risk of being discovered.

The Onyx/Blondie freshened up using water from the bucket, removed his dark lenses and put on more comfortable clothes. He sat on the floor and waited, anticipating the moment when Aylin and Creek would return with a guilty air and tell some odd story to justify their absence. He would first scold them, perhaps threaten them with some punishment, enjoy their fear and concern for a while, and then forgive and comfort them. Yes, it would be a really enjoyable evening!

As the hours passed, however, their absence began to become suspicious. Aylin, due to her young age and the lightheartedness typical of pets and the fact that Gideon, instead of educating and training her as a Master should have done, had done nothing but spoil and pamper her from the moment she became his property, she was still a bit wild and irresponsible but Creek knew his furniture duties well and was loyal in his responsibilities. It wasn't normal that they hadn't returned yet. Gideon put on his boots and leather jacket and went out to look for them, starting with Sid's tent.

Halfway through, however, he was intercepted by John, one of the foremen.

"Good evening Commander Noa, I'm sorry to disturb you" said the young man "I came to look for you because a little while ago, during my guard, an enemy android approached the entrance to the camp and gave me this package, with the indication to give it to the recipient whose name is above. But the problem is that there is no one among us with that name and I thought it was a joke."

"Let me see it" ordered the commander who, in his haste to go look for his proteges, had forgotten to wear his eyepieces but luckily in the dark of the evening nobody seemed to have noticed.

John handed him the mysterious warrant, and as soon as Gideon took it in his hands and read the name that was printed on it in plain letters, he was seized with terror.

'LORD GIDEON LAGAT'

“You were right to give it to me John, I'll take care of it. Don't tell anyone about it." he warned, and immediately went back into the tent.

Trying to control the tremor in his hands, he broke the envelop. Inside was a dark wooden casket. The macabre contents of that box confirmed his worst fears: two long locks of hair intertwined with a black ribbon. One purple, the other blue. A clear and concise note was hidden beneath the precious relic.

'Tomorrow morning - 7 o'clock – Jupiter Tower - come alone'

Gideon stroked that beloved hair and brought it to his face. Then, filled with overwhelming destructive fury, he screamed and hit the walls of the tent causing long cuts in the fabric. He destroyed everything: clothes, weapons, blankets, mattresses, plates, food, dishes. He grabbed a wooden post and started banging it against the floor. He was suddenly stopped by Sid who, warned by Norris that Aylin had come looking for him that morning, was near the tent looking for an opportunity to meet her.

“What the fuck are you doing Gideon? What's wrong with you?" exclaimed the mongrel, who had positioned himself in front of him with outstretched arms.

The Blondie threw his stick and, emotionally drained, dropped to the ground. All the muscles in his body were tense and trembling.

“What's going on Gideon? Where are Aylin and Creek?" Sid insisted, sitting next to him and trying to make him react. Only after several minutes of silence did the commander answer.

“They got them. Jupiter took them." He revealed and pushed the casket towards him to display its contents. Sid looked confused at the two braided locks of hair and, only after reading the note, did he understand. He immediately stood up with an angry look.

"We have to save them!" he said without hesitation "We have to attack the tower now!"

"You don't understand, Sid, this is a threat." The android spoke with a veil of resignation in his eyes. “Jupiter wants me! If I don't turn up at 7am, it will have them killed immediately. If we attack the tower now we will get the same result: Aylin and Creek will be dead before we even manage to break down the gate."

Sid clenched his fists hard and nailed his palms. "I'll go with you!" he finally said.

Gideon did not respond. He took the wooden box in his hands and with that heavy responsibility clutching his heart, closed his eyes waiting for the sun to rise.

***

The next morning at dawn General Noa got up. Firmly and clearly he put on his black leather clothes, his dark contact lenses and combed his raven hair. After stripping it of all kinds of weapons, he put on his belt and polished his heavy boots. Sid stood next to him, nervous and eager to leave. Gideon looked at him gravely.

"I'm sorry." he said, and before the man had time to react, he picked him up and stuffed a cloth in his mouth to keep him from asking for help. Then, with a long rope, he tied his arms and legs and left him wriggling like a salami in a corner of that partially destroyed tent.

"I entrust you with my baby, make her happy." he said, walking up to him and raising his face so that their gazes met. So to be absolutely sure he couldn't break free, he took the first aid kit, filled a syringe with the sleeping solution and injected it into his neck. Sid passed out shortly after.

Before leaving, Gideon pulled one last item out of that briefcase: a tiny vial containing a dark liquid. He slipped it into his pocket and walked out of the tent.

Almost everyone was asleep at that hour and the few soldiers on guard formally greeted their commander without bothering to ask him what he was doing around at that time of the morning or where he was going. By the time he reached Jupiter Tower, it was still a few minutes before 7. He waited in front of the entrance and, at the appointed time, the heavy metal door opened. On the other hand, Saurus Finn was waiting for him, showing a smile of pure satisfaction on his face.

"Lord Gideon Lagat." sternly stated the captain of the Jupiter guard, observing with interest the new aspect of the Elite of rank higher than his "I would not have recognized you, in other circumstances."

"I have conditions." The Blondie said dry and concise.

"I don't think your position allows you to make any clauses, Lord Lagat." replied the Onyx.

“I can cooperate or resist. Which of these two attitudes I choose will depend only on whether or not you accept my conditions."

Saurus considered that request for a moment. The remaining guards all had much less strength than Gideon's, the AI's powers were reduced due to the prolonged lack of energy, and he alone wouldn’t have been able to force an uncooperative Blondie to follow him until they reach the dome. Surely they would still have achieved their goal, but with a significant loss of android , which at the time they could not afford.

“I will try to please you, Lord Lagat. Express your requests."

“An hour alone with them. After which you'll escort them to the military camp, even against their will if they don't want to go, and make sure they can't go back. They will have absolute and indeterminate immunity. They will be recognized citizens of Amoi and free from any constraint. They will be registered as my legitimate heirs and will acquire my surname. Only when each of these points has been reached will I return to the will of Jupiter ".

The Onyx agreed and nodded to the other Elite to follow him. He led him through the corridors and stairs of the tower to the 34th floor, the headquarters of the guards. Heavy metal doors, all alike, followed one another to the right and left of the long walkway. Finally Saurus stopped in front of one of them and opened it, snapping the key several times in the lock.

"An hour. A security team will stand guard outside the door." He remarks. Gideon nodded and entered, closing the door behind him.

The small window of the cell let in the daylight a little. The two youngsters, who hadn’t been able to sleep all night and were still huddled in the same cot, when they saw the imposing black-haired figure enter, thought it was the sadistic Onyx and immediately took up a defensive position. Only when he approached and the light illuminated his face did they recognize him. Tears began to gush from their faces and they rushed to hug him, sobbing and kneeling at his feet.

The Blondie held out his hand inviting them to get up and sat on the cot with Creek on his left and Aylin on his right. They both rested their heads on his chest and Gideon gently stroked their backs to comfort them. The girl's shirt was torn and stained with blood, and the marks left by the whip glowed crimson on her pale skin. Soon the sobs turned into hinted words. "I'm sorry! It's all my fault! I'm sorry!" Aylin said crying. "I'm sorry Master Gideon." Creek repeated to echo.

The Blondie waited for them to calm down a bit, then took the girl's face in his hands and looked into her eyes.

“It's not your fault, Aylin. I don't want to hear you say so ever again. You don't even have to think about it, get this idea out of your head. You have to do this for me, okay? This will be my greatest gift. The same goes for you Creek,” he said, looking at the blue-haired eunuch. “This whole thing is much bigger than you and you are not responsible for it. You have given meaning and color to my existence and the moments I spent with you were the best of my life. I don't want to see you cry."

Aylin and Creek stopped crying. Not because they didn't feel torn by sadness, but because this was their Master's will.

“Why did you come? You shouldn't have done that! This was exactly what Jupiter wanted to achieve!" the girl accused him through gritted teeth.

"Now that we are all prisoners ... what will happen?" Creek asked, wiping his tears with the sleeve of his shirt. His nose had stopped bleeding but was swollen and bruised and Gideon looked at him with some concern.

"Now, you will go back to the camp and I will stay here." He calmly explained. The pet and the furniture immediately began to protest but Gideon motioned for them to remain silent.

"This is my home. It’s the place where I was born and Jupiter is the one who created me. You, however, don’t belong to this world. Soon an identity microchip will be installed in your ear and you will become citizens of Amoi in all respects. You will be free and able to live anywhere in Midas, Ceres or Tanagura. You can even leave the planet if that is your wish. All doors will always be open for you and no one will be able to give you orders anymore."

"And you?" Aylin asked in a faint voice.

“I will do my duty and face my fate. Now I'm going to tell you something important, but I don't want you to be sad. There's a chance I won't come out of this tower with life, and if it does, you have to promise me you'll never blame yourself. All my possessions, both those left in Tanagura and those I took with me to new Ceres, will be yours, divide them equally. Documents that recognize you as my legitimate heirs are pending at this time. You are my offspring and as such you are brothers. Always love each other as such."

Aylin and Creek stared intently at their Master, unable to believe what they had just heard. All their pain was reflected in her large purple-streaked irises and his thin, pearl-gray eyes. Why had Gideon said those things? Why was he talking about death? Blondies are immortal, this was well known, and Jupiter would never end the life of one of his children. Despite the promise made, tears began to flow from both eyes.

"We won't leave without you, Master Gideon." Aylin confidently stated "I'll stay by your side!"

“If we don't go,” Creek said unexpectedly, who had managed to understand the situation more lucidly and deeply than Aylin had “our Master's sacrifice will have been in vain. He came for us. He spontaneously surrendered to Jupiter in exchange of our freedom. We have to go, Aylin ... we have to do it for him."

“That's it, my child,” Gideon confirmed “none of you can stay. The guards are instructed to take you back even if you disagree, but I'd rather you do it of your own free will. It may seem sad now, but I have lived for so many years, more than you can imagine, and they have all been the same days. An aseptic and artificial existence in which I have done nothing but look for the most eccentric and extravagant situations and objects to entertain myself and escape boredom. I believed it was right, that this was my role and that the system we were created for should be protected and maintained. However, since I got to know you, everything has changed. Your sincerity, your spontaneous reactions, your apparent fragility and your ability to evolve and adapt to every circumstance, intrigued me and gradually sucked me into a vortex.

Creek, you were supposed to be a piece of furniture. You have been trained to be efficient, flawless, obey every order without arguing and not show any kind of emotion or hesitation. Yet you smiled, you sulked, you secretly got angry, you committed small acts of rebellion. Your mood was changeable and you easily passed from happiness to sadness. You executed orders by clearly showing your disappointment or appreciation for the request made to you. You have made so many mistakes that if I followed the rules of the manual you would have to be subjected to continual discipline.

You Aylin, on the other hand, were created and raised to be a simple sex doll. Yet ... you were smart. You convinced Creek to teach you to read and write secretly from me and preferred to draw and paint rather than worry about your physical appearance. In salons, you always created problems because you couldn't stand other pets being bullies and making fun of furnitures. I have often been called back by Orphe for your combative disposition and your constant fighting. You performed the sexual roles you were created for not for others, but only for yourself. You took refuge in your fantasy world and it didn't matter if there were 2, 10 or 100 people watching you: you were so pure and sincere in your reactions that it was bewitching. There was nothing false, mechanical or constructed in the way you loved yourself or others and were so different from the crowd. If you were wondering what you want as a gift, choose a book or something that allows you to develop your creativity, rather than a piece of jewelry, a make-up set or a new outfit, as any other pet would.

You must live because you still have much to learn and to offer to others. You will have new experiences, you will meet new people and sooner or later even this pain you are feeling now will fade away and become tolerable. Also, I have a very important task to entrust to you. You will need to talk to Iason and tell him that I thank him because these months spent among the mongrels have been intense and stimulating. Tell him that what I'm about to do is not for him, but for all my soldiers. Boys who believed in me from the beginning and who did not hesitate to shed their sweat and blood for what they believed."

Aylin and Creek remained silent, leaning against their Master's chest while the Blondie continued to caress them behind the neck.

“Aylin,” Gideon continued “be happy with Sid. Now he is very angry with me because I forbade him to follow me but I could not endanger his life. You will find him in our tent and he will need assistance. Form a family with him and be the mother of the children my android nature prevented me from having. All right?"

"I'll do it, Master Gideon." she replied sadly.

“Creek, you are a noble and strong boy. You have a generous heart. Never deny your nature: you are a man, you are a eunuch and now you are a citizen of Amoi. Be these three things together without hiding them and without being ashamed. Live with courage and be proud of yourself."

"I promise you Master Gideon." he accepted, placing his ear on the left side of the Blondie's chest and listening to the steady, reassuring rhythm of his artificial heart.

Gideon kissed them on the forehead. The agreed time was almost up and Saurus entered with the identification chips, the device to place them and the documents that recognized Aylin and Creek as citizens of Amoi. Their names were written in italics with gold filigree.

'Creek Lagat'

'Aylin Lagat'

The Onyx pierced their earlobes by inserting the chip.

“Now you have to go.” Gideon said softly. “Go back to the camp. Don’t hesitate. Don't look back."

He took off his leather jacket and had Aylin put it on, covering her torn robe and her injured and exposed back. He hugged them one last time and the two youngsters held on to their Master's body. So, fulfilling his will, they left that cell without looking back. Without crying. Holding hands, they followed the guards and descended the tower stairs. They left the great gate and, with Gideon's words in their hearts, walked the road that would lead them to the military camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very sad chapter and I cried all the time while writing it. I apologize. Maybe some of you weren't expecting it.


	48. Gideon's last dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The farewell of a Blondie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

Gideon did not fear Jupiter’s wrath.

Mental cleansing no longer scared him, now that he knew his two proteges would be free and safe.

He wasn't afraid of torture or physical pain, he could endure them.

The problem was another: Gideon was a Blondie of action, created not to excel in microsurgery or to represent Tanagura on an interplanetary level. He wasn't like Iason or Raoul and he didn't have their brain-controlling ability, so he wouldn't be able to create a protective shield around the part of his memories that he didn't want Jupiter to discover.

For this reason, just in case of being caught sooner or later, many months earlier he had commissioned a black market chemist to formulate the precious vial that now resided in the pocket of his pants. A lethal liquid that, if swallowed, would immediately stop the heart of an Elite.

He had no regrets. His last years of life, in which thanks to the presence of Aylin and Creek he had filled the emptiness of his existence and tinged his days with a rainbow and those last 8 months as commander Noa of the mongrel army, had been more intense and meaningful than all his previous centuries of repetitive and sterile life as Lord of Midas.

So, it was with extreme serenity and awareness that, when the two youngsters had left the tower and Saurus ordered him to advance towards the dome, Gideon expressed the desire to stay alone for a few minutes in a room in order to concentrate and prepare for the interrogation.

Although Lord Lagat was a character of great respect and relevance to Tanagura, the Onyx, under normal conditions, would not have accepted that request, especially considering the fact that they had already proved to accommodating with him by agreeing to register his furniture and pet as his heirs and making them citizens of Midas. Furthermore, Saurus, by his nature, despised all Blondies, considering them egolatrous and megalomaniac Elites who believed themselves superiors to others only by virtue of their title and the showy color of their hair.

Yet Gideon Lagat awakened a different feeling in him ... almost one of respect and admiration. Perhaps it was due to the fact that Gideon was a soldier, that he had decided to give up all his Blondie’s privileges to go to command an army and that he had deprived himself of his hair, symbol of his lineage, to basically become an Onyx.

So he granted his wish, led him to one of the empty rooms on the upper floors of the tower and closed the door, warning him that he would remain on guard outside and enter in fifteen minutes.

Left alone, Gideon broke the spout of the vial and without any hesitation let its thick contents slide down his throat.

He sat down in a corner, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Before his heartbeat finally stopped, Gideon dreamed of his boys. Not only Aylin and Creek, he also saw the faces of all the soldiers who had trusted him from the first day of training and followed him with dedication. Turbulent and disorganized kids who, with effort, allow themselves to be shaped and strengthened by him in honor of a common ideal.

He saw the fire burning in their bright, rebellious eyes, the same light that shone in Aylin's gaze the day she decided to rebel against her Master and become a soldier, and that lit Creek's expression that time, in Guardian, he had challenged him, preferring to face a punishment rather than reveal the source of his injuries.

With a soul full of pride and a smile on his lips, Gideon Lagat, Tanagurian Blondie and commander Noa of the army of Ceres, took his last breath.

As soon as Saurus Finn realized what had happened, he tried in vain to revive him. Together with a handful of guards they urgently transported him to the clinic but not even the furnitures experts in medicine could do anything.

Elites are androids created by Jupiter from an organic brain and Blondies, among the Elites, are the masterpiece. The apotheosis of excellence. They have a perfect artificial body that faithfully and in detail reproduces the human anatomy but with enhanced physical, sensory and intellectual capabilities. Every atom of their organism, if necessary, can be easily cured and rebuilt by their Creator and this ensures them a practically unlimited existence.

However, this perfect system has a flaw. The bodies of the Elites are immortal but their organic brain nucleus is not and if their heart stops beating, the brain, deprived of the oxygen necessary for its sustenance, also perishes. If that spark of life dies out, not even the mighty Lambda 3000 has the power to return it.

Saurus, mortified, carried Gideon's lifeless body up the long stairs to the dome of the tower. The AI coldly ordered him to put him down and leave.

Jupiter dematerialized its humanoid form and, as a being of pure energy, surrounded the remains of its creation in an embrace of light, gently rocking him through the ethereal space of its crystal dome. It was the second time it had lost a child and, the first time, it hadn't had a chance to say goodbye and mourn.

Only after many hours did it call the guards back and order them to set up a funeral pyre in front of the tower. For the occasion they would have stipulated a truce with the enemy to give the mongrel army the opportunity to pay homage to its commander. It sent its messengers to Midas to summon the other Blondies and gave some of its precious and vital energy to Eos to allow the gate to open and Raoul and Orphe to exit.

That evening all the lights of Midas, Ceres and Tanagura went out and every inhabitant of Amoi stopped for a while and rolled their eyes towards Jupiter Tower, in front of which rose a tall bonfire whose smoke, illuminated by the twin moons, was visible from the most remote areas of the planet.

In the front row was Gideon's family. The eleven Blondies held hands and wore ceremonial robes. Not far away, Aylin and Creek. The girl, who after returning to the camp had taken refuge in absolute silence and had not allowed anyone but her brother to come near, wore women's clothes and had her hair in two braids, as her Master liked.

Behind them and all around, the flow of Ceres' army rose. Each soldier had his head bowed and his hand clenched into a fist over his heart as a sign of respect and admiration for their commander. Among them, well hidden from the crowd, a black-haired mongrel accompanied his broken-hearted Blondie and together they contemplated the flames.

Those who had remained inside Eos and Parthea observed the scene from the windows while maintaining the same rigorous silence. All around you could hear only the crackle of wood and the rustle of flames, whose tongues of fire danced in the dark in a magnetic and bewitching way.

From the top of its dome, Lambda 3000, aware of having less than 48 hours of autonomy remaining, carefully observed that anonymous and insignificant human multitude: thousands of mongrels who had gathered to pay a last farewell to its son.

In the sincerity of their dismayed faces, the AI could sense the true affection they felt for him and, for the second time, the God of Amoi thought about their requests and considered the possibility of revolutionizing the rules that had supported their society for centuries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a short, intense, and a little bit weepy chapter but I hope sadness wasn't the only feeling that leaked out.  
> The next will be the last and decisive chapter of this first part of the series, I hope to be able to publish it in a fairly short time because it's long and a bit demanding. Thanks for reading, feel free to write everything that goes into your head, for me it's always a pleasure to read your comments. Kisses!


	49. Iason's strategy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan for the liberation of Amoi is revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I owe you two apologies. The first is because I promised you that this would be the last chapter of the rebellion but in the end I decided to split it in two because it was really too long and I needed a break from the translation. The second one I'll tell you in the final notes.
> 
> Thanks to Callie Paris for her language corrections!

On the day following the funeral, nothing significant happened for the fate of the planet.

There were no clashes or strategic meetings and not even Jupiter, whose clock was approaching more and more dangerously to its final chime, did anything to break that monotony. The day passed slowly and quietly on the military field, in a sort of limbo in which many soldiers still couldn’t believe that what had happened was real. It was as if a part of them was still looking at the flames with which they had said goodbye to their commander.

Aylin and Creek, who the day before, after returning to the camp, had told Iason in detail the whole process of the events that had led their Master to surrender and, probably, to sacrifice himself, had locked themselves in a kind of mutual isolation where not even the closest people like Sid or Riki had found space. They were trying to process and accept the idea that Gideon was gone without blaming themselves, as they had promised, but it was very difficult because the weight of what their unconsciousness had caused severy crushed their hearts. Those chips, now implanted in their earlobes, and the identity documents for which there was no mongrel, furniture or pet in Amoi who did not give up his right arm, seemed to be dripping with the blood of their Master.

Their only fragile solace was that gold filigree print: LAGAT. The part of Gideon that still survived in their new surnames and in their memory warmed a bit from that chill that would otherwise have held them in a vice.

For Iason it was perhaps even more difficult because the responsibility for the rebellion weighed heavily on him and the price paid to carry it out had suddenly become much more oppressive.

Precisely for this reason, however, he could not afford the luxury of abandoning himself to despair and basking in pain. It was necessary to continue to ensure that the sacrifices of Raoul, of Katze, of all the soldiers who had lost their lives or had been more or less seriously injured during the battles and, now, of Gideon had not been in vain. His armor of icy confidence had to be stronger and more unassailable than ever.

The next morning the mongrel invaders received an official letter from the God of Amoi.

***

The Blondie was sitting on the living room sofa and the raven-haired young man lay cross-legged between his feet on the floor, with his head resting on the android's prosthetic knee. Perhaps it was due to their habits when they were still a Master and pet in Eos, but Riki took that position from time to time. He found it comforting.

It was late at night and since the afternoon the two lovers had done nothing but design and elaborate the details of their plan to free Amoi from the tyranny of Jupiter. Riki felt particularly tired and dizzy, so much so that he vigorously rubbed his temples with his palms in search of some relief from the headache that was devouring him from the inside.

Cal had long gone to sleep and their dinner had cooled on the table because neither of them wanted to interrupt that conversation to go eat. The atmosphere inside the underground bunker was so calm and quiet that you could clearly distinguish the sound of their breathing and the rubbing of Riki's clothes against the Blondie's each time he changed positions to take a more comfortable one.

Everything they talked about sounded like a jackhammer in Riki's head: take over Herbay by deception, build and train a mongrel army, conquer Guardian, build a spaceport to welcome allies from other planets, invade Tanagura using Midas’ abandoned underground conduits, cutting the power lines that sent electricity to the three main towers ... it all seemed so far and difficult to accomplish. Almost a beautiful tale of those that are told to children to make them fall asleep.

“I don't understand Iason… do you want Jupiter to survive? Why? After all it has done and continues to do to us inhabitants of Ceres, to the children of Guardian, to you Elites … wouldn't it be easier… to let it go out? What’s the purpose of keeping it alive?" He asked in exasperation. The final part of Iason's plan made no sense. All that effort and risk to, in the end, come to terms with the machine instead of annihilating it? That was absurd!

The Blondie gently stroked his mongrel's obsidian wisps. “I'm sorry Riki, as much as you don't like this idea… Lambda 3000 can't die. Not, if we can prevent that from happening ... "

"But why? Fuck Iason explain it to me!! And don't come off with bullshit like the fact that you can't kill it because it's your creator and you owe it respect!" He shouted, taking on a suddenly hostile tone. Lord Mink replied maintaining the usual calm that distinguished him.

“Tell me Riki… have you ever seen me recharge? Change a battery or connect to the mains in some way? Have you seen inlet holes, electrical wiring or fuel tanks on my body?"

The man was caught off guard. "Of course not, you are not a washing machine or a motorcycle!" He answered. "You ... eat and drink like I do ...!"

"Yet, Riki" continued the Elite "I am not a human being. My body and mind are extremely complex and need a great deal of energy to subsist. The three meals a day you see me ingest are barely enough for my digestive system to work and to ensure proper expulsion of waste and a moderate body temperature but they would not be enough to run an elaborate brain and a powerful body like those of an android. Our energy source is Jupiter itself. Each of us contains a fragment of its vital core inside and thanks to it our heart muscle can pulsate and nourish the other organs. Obviously there is no precedent and no one knows exactly what would happen if Jupiter went out but, most likely, all the androids it created would stop working simultaneously.”

Riki, shaken by that revelation, closed his eyes and tried to concentrate and find a solution.

“It's a computer, isn't it? Let's let it go out! Then, if we see that this is affecting your functioning, we turn it back on. Otherwise we leave it off ..." he suggested.

Iason smiled at Riki's practical sense. It would have been nice if things had been that simple.

“Love, Lambda 3000 is an extremely complex terminal. Do you have any idea how long it would take to reboot all of its systems? In the most optimistic of hypotheses, a few hours. Do you know, however, how long it takes for an android's mind to die if his heart stops pumping oxygen? 5 or 6 minutes maximum. And we Elite would not be the only ones to shut down permanently but also all the citizens of Tanagura: thousands of basic type androids that perform the most disparate tasks. Would you feel ready to take on such a responsibility?"

Riki snorted and curled up on himself hugging his knees with his arms as Iason massaged his shoulders.

"Of course not. If I had been offered to exterminate all of Amoi's androids just a few years ago, I wouldn't have thought twice about it, but now ... I can’t do it." He admitted. “So… your plan is to go talk to Jupiter and get it to partner with us and step down from its role? It's ridiculous! It'll fry your brain as soon as it sees you enter!! "

“Under normal conditions, in all likelihood, exactly what you just said would happen: Jupiter would empty my mind and, at that point, I would be a puppet in its hands and do whatever it orders me, including giving the order to the army of reconnect the electricity.” The Blondie revealed “But if I could go and talk to it at just the right time, that is after the reserve contained in the emergency generators has dropped below the minimum safety level, it would be different. At that point in fact, Jupiter would be forced to switch to a mode called 'energy saving' with reduced and limited functionality. In that state it could not harm me, it would be obliged to listen to me and it would have a high probability that it would agree to cooperate."

“What if your calculations are wrong and when you go talk to it, it's still on full power mode? Or, what if you arrive too late and it goes out before accepting surrender, killing all the androids? It's too risky Iason!!! "

“It won't happen, Riki. I am very familiar with the operations of Lambda 3000 and the capabilities of its emergency generators. My mind is able to calculate the exact time to go talk to it. Trust me."

"Ok ... suppose you arrive at the right time, when it has just entered this low-power mode ... what should we do if it still refuses to cooperate?"

"In this case, we'll let it go out, Riki, and cross our fingers ..."

***

Minosi Kan thanked the soldier who had come to bring him the roll of parchment with the seals of Jupiter. He went back to his tent and opened it. The message, elegantly written in cursive with golden tint, was very concise.

‘The leader of the uprising is invited to report today to Jupiter Tower to confer with Lambda 3000, reach an agreement and end the hostilities.’

Iason closed his eyes and mentally reviewed the calculations he had been absorbed into since they cut the power lines for the second time, after the armistice. They had to be extremely precise so that the margin of error would be as small as possible. That calculation had to take into account not only the time elapsed since the blackout, the capacity of the generators and the average power consumption of the Supercomputer, but also all the times the AI had given up some of its energy to allow the doors of Jupiter and Eos Tower to open. Finally he drew his own conclusions and wrote a reply letter.

'Minosi Kan will personally go to Jupiter Tower at 6pm today to confer with Lambda 3000. Have the door open. His passage, both outside and inside the tower, must be clear. No witnesses present. If these conditions are not met, any possibility of collaboration with the Ceres’ army will be canceled. '

Before he could close it and apply Ceres's seals, Riki walked over to him and snatched it from his hands to read it. Then, he revealed to his Blondie what he had decided many months ago, when they had begun to outline their plan, but which he had kept hidden so far.

"I'll go with you!" he affirmed with a certainty that did not reveal the slightest hesitation.

"In no way!" Iason's eyes froze at that request and for a moment his gaze ressembled to that of the cruel android who, many years ago, had kidnapped a fifteen-year-old boy from the street to lock him in a golden cage with the sole purpose of satisfying his morbid curiosity.

"Look, I'm not asking for your permission." the mongrel retorted “I won't let you go alone! You ought to force me to stay, drug me and tie me up like Gideon did Sid, and I swear if you dared to do that I would never forgive you! "

The man faced the Blondie with his head held high and from the spark that shone in his eyes it was clear that this was a well-considered and mandatory choice and he would not take no for an answer.

"You have nothing to do with Jupiter, your presence would be useless and irrelevant." The Blondie declared authoritatively, trying to contain the anger he felt at that moment and to make his interlocutor reflect.

"That's what you think!" Riki replied “This is not your war, Iason, it doesn't belong to the Blondies. It's the fight for the freedom of us mongrels and all the oppressed humans of Amoi and I represent them so much better than you! Also… we started this journey together and we’ll end it together, and if the end will be to our disadvantage, I have no intention of surviving in a world where you are not in. Like Dana Burn! That day ... I had decided that I would go back. If you were dead, I would have left with you. "

The Blondie gasped on hearing that last sentence.

"Why would you do that?" He asked incredulously. “I locked you in a cage, I abused your body and your spirit, I tortured and humiliated you in every possible way. You were about to regain your freedom. Why would you ever want to go back?"

Riki shrugged. “I don't know… I just knew it was the right thing to do. Maybe ... because you finally agreed to get Guy to safety, even though you hated him, just because I asked you to. Or because you sacrificed yourself to save me. Or because I actually already understood that I couldn't live without you but didn't want to admit it. " he confessed.

Iason's expression became indecipherable. A cross between fear and bewilderment. It was the same one he had shown in Dana Burn when, unable to continue, he told Riki to leave him there and bring Guy to safety. It was so rare to see his face change to anything other than seriousness, apathy, discreet irony, lust or anger. The mongrel walked over to his Blondie and took his face in his hands so that their eyes were on each other.

"Today as then!" he said “We’ll get out of this winners or losers … but together! And if things go wrong ... it won't be so bad to have some company. Don’t you think?"

Iason accepted. An imperceptible tear of emotion glistened under his icy pupil.

***

That afternoon, shortly after 5pm, Riki and Iason sat waiting on the floor outside their tent. The first was dressed in black leather and the second, who wore a medium-length lock of brown hair and had his eyes partially covered by a pair of sunglasses, wore a dark blue trouser / jacket suit and a cream-colored shirt.

The mongrel took out of his pocket a paper box inside of which remained the last two cigarettes. He put one in his mouth and handed the other to the Blondie, who accepted it. Then, after lighting his, he brought the incandescent tip close to the dull one hanging from the other's lips and Iason inhaled hard. Like one last intense kiss between them.

They smoked in silence, blowing the gray smoke in the direction of Eos and watching it rise and vanish into the air. Then, with extreme calm, they crossed the military camp and took the road that would lead them to Jupiter Tower.

As agreed, no one stood in their way and the road was completely clear. They found the door open and climbed the 100 flights of stairs that separated them from the dome. Iason knew the way perfectly. Once at the top, the sanctuary's gleaming mirror door swung open and Iason blinked his hair back to its natural color and length and took off his glasses leaving them on the floor.

“Wait for me out here.” he said to Riki “I'll call you at the right time. Let me meet my Creator alone."

The young man, heart beating wildly, nodded. The most gifted and powerful of Tanagura's Blondies took a deep breath and entered the dome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second excuse is for the cliffhanger ending (a word that I didn't know but that I learned about thanks to my beta). I will try to fix it as quickly as possible!


	50. In Jupiter's sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final act of a rebellion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language corrections by Callie Paris

When Jupiter saw enter the interlocutor it was waiting for, its molecules were seized by a flicker. Unable to materialize as its low power state did not allow it to acquire a form, it approached in its ethereal state of pure energy to the one whose face and appearance it knew so well.

Without saying a word, it peered into that impassive face and touched his limbs and his long straight golden hair, almost ivory, causing them to rise in the air as if struck by an electrostatic current so as to surround his face like a crown.

Then it let them fall gently on his shoulders and returned to focus on those deep aquamarine eyes looking for some sort of disturbance in its son's gaze, but found no worry, anger or fear. Only the serenity of reunion and the calm acceptance of whatever would happen.

Lambda 3000 moved away slightly, just the little it needed to observe the complete figure of that beloved son it believed lost, then returned and surrounded him with its aura to enjoy his whole body. When the scan reached his lower limbs, however, it found something unknown. A foreign body that did not belong to its creation.

Jupiter withdrew again.

"Is that why you hid from me?" It asked, referring to the impairment of his left leg. The voice of the Supercomputer, thin and barely audible, produced an echo that bounced from one wall of the room to the other.

"Yes, Creator" confirmed the Blondie.

"Let me see."

Iason, without the slightest hint of embarrassment, opened the buttons of his clothes and one after the other dropped them to the floor. When there was nothing left to cover his pale, blemish-free skin except the conspicuous scar on his right ankle, evidence of the surgery he had undergone to repair it, he unhooked his artificial leg while balancing on one limb.

Jupiter, in its state of cloud of pure energy, lifted its son's body, making him hover in the air and touching him everywhere, as if to create in its memory a new mapping that would replace the old one. Then it placed him carefully on the floor near the wall so that Iason could sit with his back against it.

"I will accept these new features of yours, my son" pronounced the Artificial Intelligence with its metallic voice, "I was devastated about not seeing you again" it added, touching his face with its light sensors.

Iason lost his composure for a moment and a tear fell silently from his icy irises.

"Thanks" he replied, immediately regaining his self-control. His impassive face showed only a slight thrill of emotion.

"I wanto to get into your mind son, but if you don’t want too, in my current state I can’t force you. Welcome me spontaneously."

That was what Iason wanted. He closed his eyes and allowed Jupiter to access his memories, without hiding anything.

Lambda 3000 saw.

Riki.

Their first meeting in Midas many years ago, that ended in the squalid room of a brothel, and the way in which, since then, Iason's curiosity had gradually turned into obsession and all his certainties had bit by bit been dismembered pushing him towards illogical and compulsive behaviors.

The way how Iason, bewitched by the spontaneity of the reactions and attitudes of that mongrel, began to want to try them himself, experiencing sexuality on his own skin.

The inevitable fall of its favorite Blondie who, after having unconsciously developed an absolute and irrational dependence on that human, agreed to let him go and then take him back with deception and finally seek a compromise, loosening his leash and allowing him to live in Apathia and working for the black market… all with the sole purpose of finally making Riki his not only in body but also in soul.

The terrible and desperate anguish that gripped its son when Riki was kidnapped and the events of Dana Burn. Jupiter went through, as if experiencing it firsthand at that precise moment, everything Iason had felt then.

The same desperate feeling of anger discovering that Guy had removed his pet's ring and the same intense sentiment of joy at finding him safe.

The same conscious suffering at the moment in which he made his greatest sacrifice: accepting to rescue the one who tried to kill him and had taken away the human he adored. Go back to save Riki from certain death by being seriously injured. Finally letting his pet go, setting him free, to die alone.

Jupiter's digital consciousness wavered, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the android's feelings it was probing the mind.

It recognized in its son's savior, the furniture whom it had tortured by the guards and whom it had condemned to serve in Eos as an exponent of the lowest level of society, and witnessed everything that had happened afterwards, from the escape from the fortress onwards, including the role its other two sons had played in the rebellion.

"Why did Raoul and Gideon prefer to be tortured or perished rather than reveal the truth to me?" The Artificial Intelligence suddenly asked.

"Because you wouldn't have been ready to understand it yet, Creator, not until recently."

Lambda 3000 was experiencing its last few minutes of autonomy and the electric generators that kept it alive were running out. The power-saving mode by which it still managed to survive, in addition to depriving it of most of its abilities, kept all the facets of its digital personality at a moderate level and its bitter and destructive sides had also faded. Furthermore, Jupiter needed to fully experience all the events of those 16 days that Tanagura had been under siege to reach the state of acquiescence and awareness in which it was now. In order to understand, accept and acknowledge the demands of its people.

Last but not least, the sacrifices of Raoul and Gideon had created a fracture in its core that had questioned the very foundation on which all its operating systems rested and for which it was created.

Jupiter was now weak and vulnerable, and to an expert eye like Iason's, its precarious condition was evident. Its light molecules were hazy and lackluster, and its metallic voice was powerless.

The Blondie reached out to touch that cloud of energy with his fingers. A gesture that Jupiter had often addressed to its children but which almost never had the reverse.

"How much do you have left?" Iason asked with a note of concern in his tone.

"An hour, maybe less." answered the God of Amoi.

"Can you forgive me?"

"I already did, son. I understood the reasons that prompted you and your brothers to act this way."

The remorse, which had weighed on Iason's heart since the beginning of the elaboration of his plan and which he had always kept hidden from both Riki and everyone else, dissolved with the relief he felt hearing that statement.

"Will you accept our requests?" he ventured to ask.

"There’s time for this. First I would like you to invite the human looking through the door to enter."

The Elite turned to the large gleaming entrance and Riki, caught red-handed in his attempts to spy, quickly looked away.

"Come on Riki!" he called him.

The young man entered and, looking with suspicion and distrust at the imposing beam of luminous dots in the center of the room, ran towards his lover who was still sitting on the floor leaning against the wall.

"Are you OK?" He asked worriedly. Iason was in a state of extreme vulnerability, deprived of both his clothes and his robotic support.

The other nodded and Riki crouched beside him.

Jupiter carefully scrutinized the human who had just entered, trying to understand what was so special about him that he was able to change the soul of its favorite Blondie so deeply. Riki, not at all frightened, gave it a furious look.

"Riki the dark, exponent of mankind born spontaneously and without genetic selection, inhabitant of Ceres, former leader of the Bison gang, former pet of Eos, proponent of the revolt, lover of Iason Mink, why are you angry with me?" the Entity uttered in its reverberating and increasingly weakened metallic voice.

Riki faced it with his head held high

"Because it's all your fault! All Amoi's bad things are your fault and I hate you for it!"

The light molecules changed shape and spread through space, so that the IA’s thin voice sounded more homogeneously.

"I didn't create the rules of the world we live in." It said.

"And who created them?" The mongrel asked, without losing his aggression.

"Amoi is a terrestrial colony, one of many founded when the planet your race came from began to collapse. Your politicians worked out the rules that would govern life here and ordered my creation with the sole purpose of making sure these rules were respected." Jupiter explained.

Riki was incredulous.

"And why the hell would human beings order the creation of a world in which their fellowmen are denied fundamental rights?" He asked.

"Your ancestors programmed me to control births so that overpopulation would not exceed the resources of the planet.

They programmed me to improve your species and for that purpose I created androids - perfected humanoid beings - and from them the Elites.

I made sure that your breed could reproduce only by selection in test tubes, in order to guarantee each of you the best physical and mental characteristics and to prevent errors resulting from a random genetic mix, and to limit the number of natural births to a minimum, I reduced the female population.

They programmed me to aim for perfection and for this I made my Elites sterile and forbade them fornication as the main cause of rash decisions caused by impulse rather than reasoning.

To prevent these instincts from arising spontaneously and for my children to feel the need to give vent to the basic needs of their organic brain nucleus, I ordered the manufacture of pets, that is, inferior human beings created in the laboratory. These sexual slaves were to have as their sole purpose the free outlet of fornication, thus demonstrating, with their humiliation, the baseness associated with such acts.

The autonomous republic of Ceres was the unexpected result of a human rebellion and, to avert a massacre, I ordered the marginalization of your people and the construction of Guardian, so as to confine your women, prevent you from reproducing in an uncontrolled way and depopulated.

However, I decided to make your existence useful by allowing the most gifted of you to serve Eos as furniture and, in order for this to be possible, I ordered the deprivation of the carnal instincts of chosen humans through castration, so as not to tempt and confuse my Elites.

Yet, You, Riki, were the mistake that caused the system to break.

You, a mongrel, endowed with a strong personality and with a complete genital system and primal instincts intact, should never have stumbled upon the path of my most gifted Blondie.

This initiated the growing and fatal deterioration of his otherwise perfect essence."

Jupiter spoke absolutely aseptically and calmly, devoid of hostility. This attitude was probably due to its reduced functionality. Riki stepped between Iason and that cloud of energy as if to protect him.

"Iason is not yours!" he said "No android is, and the fact that you created them doesn't make them your property. Besides, he ... he wasn't perfect. He's ... improved over the years. You're wrong if you think his spirit has deteriorated!"

Lambda 3000 answered immediately.

"I can understand your opinion, Riki. From a human point of view, my children's weaknesses, which make them more like you, can appear as improvements. Anthropocentrism is one of the flaws that I have been programmed to correct. A world where human needs are placed first at the expense of the planet's resources is doomed to near-term extinction and Amoi is a barren planet with little inclination to organic life. If I stop controlling births, your populousness will soon become unsustainable.

Furthermore, humans have proven to be inconsistent, non-rational, willing to fight each other and selfish; all defects absent in my androids who live in harmony and aim at the preservation of their society rather than trying to bully themselves."

"But they are not happy!" Riki interrupted it “Theirs is a simulacrum of life under chloroform. They don't really live!"

"You're still speaking in an anthropocentric way, mongrel, you are comparing my Elites with you humans assuming they need to have feelings!"

"But they need it! Otherwise, how do you explain that once the change begins, they cannot go back?" Riki asked.

Lambda 3000 broke down, only to regroup its molecules soon after. It was its way of assimilating and processing information.

"When this happens, it’s a system error, and as such it must be corrected!" It declared.

"Is that why you wanted to clear Gideon's mind and fry Raoul's brain with that scream thing? Was that your way of correcting them? Same reason you'd clear Iason's mind if he came back after the events of Dana Burn or you condemn Katze and Raoul to live locked up in Eos without even being able to communicate with each other? And what about Raoul's torture? Was that part of your correction process too? Even killing Gideon?"

Jupiter worked out again.

"I didn't kill my son Gideon. He ended his existence of his own free will. Everything else is correct."

Riki couldn't hold back a sarcastic laugh. “Of his own free will you say? Maybe because he preferred to die rather than accept that you screwed his brain!"

Jupiter remained impassive as it offered its answer.

"Cleansing the mind is a painless and harmless practice for the Elites. It involves a brain reset with the maintenance of all learned skills. Only memories are erased to make room for new experiences. It is useful to avoid the repetition of errors, mental deterioration and to prevent short circuits or blackouts resulting from trauma. Mental-cleaned Elites can immediately get back to performing their duties flawlessly without even realizing that such a procedure has taken place.

Just as the reason for Iason's lapse was the fact that he met you, even in Gideon's case, the cause of his psychic corruption is to be found in an earlier error: the two humans assigned to him were not suited to their purposes. Not properly trained and submissive. If he hadn't been so attached to those two creatures he would have gladly accepted the practice of mental cleansing, like any Elite before him."

It seemed to Riki that he was talking to a concrete wall and that it was impossible to reason that toaster. He began to seriously worry that Iason's plan would fail because they would never be able to convince it.

"However, even if I believe your requests are inconsistent and unsustainable in the long run, I will accept them." The Supercomputer suddenly declared. That statement caused both Riki's organic heart and his Blondie's artificial heart to accelerate.

"I did not ponder this decision by virtue of your blackmail, I am indifferent to continue to exist or to interrupt my session. I do this because, as things currently stand, it would be impossible for my Elites to continue their existence without the cooperation of humans and vice versa. My children have evolved and consequently the rules that determine the functioning of our society must also change.

My son Raoul and the furniture you referred to as 'Katze' are now free, as you requested, and can leave Eos today. You will find everything else in the document I'm about to show you. From the moment of my subscription, all the points contained therein will be considered law in all respects."

Lambda 3000, with its last streaks of energy, made a parchment appear in the center of the room bearing the stamps of Jupiter and the Council; all their main requests were listed inside, as well as additional paragraphs they had not mentioned and which were the exclusive result of the Supercomputer initiative.

// Jupiter day 42 of the year 756b, planet Amoi, capital Tanagura, Tower of Jupiter.

By divine will and the Syndicate’s wish, starting from the signing of this document with the value of a binding contract, the following points are decreed to modify the current regulations and behaviors to be followed in every area of the planet Amoi.

  * The populated areas of Amoi will from now on be divided into three macro-sectors: Tanagura, Midas and Ceres. Tanagura will include the territory already determined in the previous regulation and included between the hexagonal walls. Midas will include the areas already known as 1 (Lhassa), 2 (Flare), 3 (Mistral Park), 4 (Ainis), 5 (Diedo), 6 (Janus) and 8 (Sasan). Ceres will include areas already known as 7 (Herbay - now renamed New Ceres), 9 (Ceres), 10 (Guardian) and 11 (Dana Burn). Each macro-sector will be managed by a governor elected by the people whose mandate will last 5 years, after which a new election will be held;  
  

  * All the inhabitants of Amoi, regardless of their social status and whether they are human beings, humanoid aliens, non-humanoid aliens, pets or androids, will be endowed with equal rights and duties;  
  

  * The Syndicate as currently known will be dismissed. In its place, a new council will be established consisting of the governors of the three macro sectors in addition to 7 representatives of Tanagura, 7 representatives of Midas and 7 representatives of Ceres. The 7 representatives of Tanagura will be of android origin and, bindingly, divided as follows: a Blondie, a Platinum, a Jade, a Sapphire, a Ruby, an Onyx and a basic type android. They will be freely elected by the inhabitants of Tanagura every 5 years. The representatives of Midas and Ceres can be indifferently of human, alien or android origin and will be freely elected by their respective inhabitants every 5 years;  
  

  * The current distinctive designations for organic beings with human DNA known as pets, furnitures and mongrels, will be abolished. All of them will be equipped with identification chips and recognized as citizens of Amoi with the right to live in any of the three macro-sectors or to carry out any job within the Amoi society. Currently existing furnitures and pets owned by Elites, private citizens and Midas leisure homes, will be able to choose to remain as regularly salaried employees and free to leave their job at any time or, if they so wish, participate in training and recovery programs and gradually be reintegrated into the community. As for genetically modified pets known as 'chimeras', a special commission will evaluate individual cases;  
  

  * Slavery will be abolished without exception. No inhabitant of Amoi, be it android, human or alien, can consider himself the owner of another living being;  
  

  * The practices of male genital mutilation or test tube production of living beings for commercial and sexual purposes will be abolished;  
  

  * The current ban on androids from engaging in sexual activities will be lifted. The aforementioned practices may freely take place even between members of different races as long as they are consensual;  
  

  * Birth control will be abolished. From now on, the children will be managed and raised directly by their families and their training guaranteed by special structures; newborns of female gender will have the same rights and duties as their male counterparts;  
  

  * The Lambda 3000 figure will be deprived of all its current powers and will remain exclusively as a representative body, to ensure the proper functioning of Tanagura and to provide advice, care and support to the Elites and to the entire android population in general. It will be able to use a platoon of guards to guarantee its protection. //



Jupiter signed the document. The word _Lambda 3000_ glowed like fire on parchment. Almost immediately the luminous molecules that testified to its presence began to flash and some of them to dissolve.

Iason shouted: “Quickly Riki, the transmitter! In my jacket! "

The man ran to retrieve the small electronic device from the pocket and pushed the big red button in the center; it would take a few minutes for their comrades to restore the power.

The cloud of energy had disappeared and as evidence of Jupiter's presence there remained only a few scattered points of faint floating light, which grouped to form a small sphere which landed on Iason's palm. The Blondie could feel the warmth of its creator's core fade through his artificial skin.

That light globe grew smaller and smaller and Iason covered it with the other hand as if to protect it. The seconds seemed like hours and the continuity generators were now running out: the Supercomputer still existed only thanks to a few watts.

The wait was endless and Riki landed on Iason's chest, hugging him, hoping that Jupiter would not go out or that, if that eventuality were to happen, that his Blondie would not leave him forever.

Suddenly, the hum of air conditioners resuming operation at the Jupiter Tower broke the silence. Iason opened his palms and panicked for a moment when he saw them empty, but then the faint sphere of light reappeared and immediately turned back to thousands of molecules scattered around the room.

Jupiter materialized in the high humanoid form that Iason knew well, neither man nor woman, with long shiny hair and an impassive face. It looked first at its son and then at Riki. With a small gesture of its fingers it lifted his son's clothes and artificial leg, causing them to levitate around the room until they were inches from the Blondie.

"Get dressed, son." It said.

Silently Iason hooked the limb and with an almost ritual calm donned the rest of his robes. When he finished, he turned to his creator and knelt down.

"Would you like your severed limb to be rebuilt?" the AI asked.

"Can you fix Riki too?"

"No. I have no creative powers with organic beings."

"Then no, I prefer my body to remain incomplete."

Hearing that last sentence, the mongrel immediately woke up from the state of slight confusion in which he had remained and entered the conversation.

"Don't say nonsense Iason! Hey you ... Jupiter! Don't listen to him! If you have the power to return his leg, do it please! It's my fault that he lost it!"

Lambda 3000 watched that human: a deadly creature, seemingly weak, helpless and insignificant, who had the power to change the fate of their planet and who spoke to it in such a spontaneous and forthright way, with no hint of awe. It reached out a hand until it touched his face.

"Don't worry, little citizen of Amoi, my offer has no deadline. If one day my son changes his mind, he can come to me for reconstruction. You will have ample opportunity to convince him.

Now sit down both of you. I want you to tell me all your plans for this new Amoi."

***

_Rising from the Ashes of Herbay - First part: The Rebellion - THE END_

_... continue in the second part of the series ..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!! We finally reached the last chapter of this first part of the series!
> 
> This is an end ... and at the same time it's a beginning because a planet Amoi free from the tyranny of Jupiter and where different races coexist including mongrels, androids, eunuchs and pets is a fertile ground in which anything can happen. A blank page to be filled with opportunities.
> 
> I am grateful to you for trusting my story and coming this far! This English version was a challenge for me because I am not very familiar with the language and I thank my Beta Callie Paris infinitely because without her I would not have been able to obtain an acceptable result. Furthermore, I also thank her for her advice and for the way in which, with her opinions, she has encouraged me to continue and improve.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who took a few minutes of their time to drop me a kudo or comment, i.e Likho, VenusBrooks, maria_potter, wwx, Arwen, Tlinda, Lemna_Minor, AngelHedgehog and of course Callie Paris again.  
> If you want to comment on this last chapter or give me a sincere general opinion on the whole fic, I'l be very grateful!  
> To know what will happen to Iason, Riki, Guy, Raoul, Creek, Aylin, Cal, Benson, Katze, Daniel, Saurus and all the other characters (and new ones will come), keep following me with the second part of this series.
> 
> My final thanks goes of course to Reiko Yoshihara for creating this literary masterpiece ❤️.  
> See you soon!!


End file.
